June 23, 2005

Queens, NY - The Eastern College Athletic Conference honored St. John's University men's soccer standout Matt Groenwald (Mt. Prospect, IL) as the school's 2004-05 ECAC Robbins Scholar-Athlete Award winner for his accomplishments on and off the pitch.

Groenwald's qualifications were nothing short of stellar for the award, finishing his last collegiate academic semester with a 3.83 grade-point average in biology, and earning his bachelor's degree in December 2004. On the field, Groenwald was among the final 15 in the running for the Missouri Athletic Club's Hermann Trophy, the award given to the top men's soccer player in the country. He led the Red Storm to a 12-6-4 record and their 13th straight NCAA Tournament appearance.

The midfielder finished the 2004 campaign with three goals, six assists, and 12 points, good for third on the team. Groenwald, who began work on his master's degree in January, will return for his final season of eligibility in the fall.

Three committees of athletics administrators selected the award winners, who will be honored during the ECAC Convention Honors Dinner presented by Jostens on Sunday, September 25. Votes were based on extraordinary achievements in academics, athletics, and community service.

"It's an honor," Groenwald. "It feels good to be recognized as more than just as an athlete. The aspect I'm most proud of is the community service and academics."

Groenwald was also selected to represent St. John's University at the 2005 NCAA Leadership Conference held at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, FL.

The conference was held May 29 through June 2 with 324 athletes from Division I, II, and III selected to attend. Nominations totaled 1,167 sent in by 298 institutions. St. John's sent in four nominations with Groenwald getting the nod from the NCAA. Other Red Storm nominees included junior track and field thrower Nenje Gibson, who was selected as the alternate, while junior softball player Blair Belloni also earned recognition by the NCAA. Nominations were considered based on strict guidelines set by the NCAA, and all of the Red Storm nominations fulfilled all the requirements.

"I can't put into words what a positive experience this was," Groenwald said. "I didn't really know what to expect, but the NCAA went all out on this event and it was extremely professional. They encouraged us to become leaders and gave examples on how we can reach our goals. The level of respect they gave us, as student-athletes, made it very worthwhile."

The conference allowed the student-athletes a forum to discuss issues affecting them on their campuses and in their communities. The five-day leadership conference was geared toward developing the student-athlete's ability to contribute to their team positively regardless of their play on the field.

"They talked about what it takes to be a leader and the best part was just how positive it was," he said. "They did it in a way that enabled us to find our weaknesses, work on those and interact with 300 other athletes. It showed me what my strengths and weaknesses are as a leader. I made some great friendships while I was there and it gave me a great chance to learn from other people."