June 15, 2005

Queens, NY - The St. John's University men's soccer team has been built on a tradition of success both on the field and off over the course of the last 10-plus years.

The Red Storm, who finished the 2004 season ranked fifth in the country by the National Soccer Coaches Association, proved to be one of the best teams in the classroom once again, posting a combined team grade-point average of 3.45 during the Spring semester of the 2004-05 academic year. It is the highest team GPA in 14 years under Head Coach Dave Masur.

"The players, coaching staff and the student development department all have worked diligently to meet our student-athlete's academic objectives," Masur said. "I am proud of all their accomplishments."

The St. John's men's soccer team's academic performance was led by senior Matt Groenwald (Mt. Prospect, IL), who was named the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American of the Year in 2004, carrying a 3.83 grade-point average in biology. Groenwald, who earned his bachelor's degree in December 2004, has been named a first-team Academic All-American the last two years. He was the second-straight St. John's player to earn Academic All-America of the Year honors in the university division, following in the footsteps of 2003 honoree Chris Wingert.

Groenwald helped guide the Red Storm to a 12-6-4 overall record last season and to the program's 13th straight NCAA Tournament appearance. He was also one of 15 finalists for the Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy, which is presented to the top men's soccer player in the country. Wingert, who stars for the Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer now, won that award last year.

Last season, St. John's was a recipient of the Team Academic Award by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. To earn the NSCAA Team Academic Award, a team must have a combined grade-point average of 3.0 or higher. It was the sixth-straight year the Red Storm men's soccer team had earned the award. St. John's was one only 49 schools nationwide to have both its men's and women's teams named recipients of the Academic Award. Over the last three years,

St. John's men's soccer players have earned numerous awards under Masur, who took over the program in 1991 and has guided the team to the 1996 NCAA Championship, 11 BIG EAST Championships and three Final Four appearances.

St. John's opens the 2005 season on Friday, September 2, playing Holy Cross at the Rutgers Classic.