Joanne Persico-Smith

				Position: Head Coach

Joanne Persico-Smith has been at the helm of the St. John's volleyball program since the very beginning, as it transformed from a onetime club team into one of the most successful programs in the East. Her hard work and commitment came full-circle on three occasions during the 2006 campaign: on Oct. 20, 2006, when Persico-Smith and the Red Storm notched their 250th win as they defeated DePaul, 3-0, on the road; on Nov. 12, 2006, when she coached the Red Storm to the program's first BIG EAST regular season crown, and then again on Nov. 30, when St. John's earned its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.

Yet the accolades did not stop there. On the 20th anniversary of her BIG EAST Player of the Year honors, Persico-Smith was named the 2006 BIG EAST Coach of the Year, the only coach in the conference to receive both accolades. Shortly following that recognition, she received American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Northeast Coach of the Year honors as well as being named an honorable mention Collegiate Volleyball Update (CVU.com) National Coach of the Year.

Persico-Smith and the Red Storm extended their accomplishments internationally, becoming the fi rst U.S. women's volleyball team to compete in Vietnam during the summer of 2007. St. John's participated in the Vietnam Television (VTV) Cup International Women's Volleyball Tournament, which showcased 11 teams from nine different countries with the Red Storm representing the United States. Persico-Smith coached her team to a silver medal after defeating club teams from China and Vietnam, and national teams from Sri Lanka, Thailand and Japan.

Now in her 14th season on the sidelines for the Red Storm, having become the fi rst fulltime female coach in school history in 1994, Persico-Smith has compiled a 259-160 (.618) career record. She is ranked 74th in winning percentage among NCAA head coaches at their respective schools and is fourth in total wins among BIG EAST head coaches at their respective institutions.

A 1987 graduate from the Newhouse School of Communications and the Maxwell School of Business of Syracuse University, Persico-Smith was one of the fi rst New York City volleyball players to receive a volleyball scholarship to play for the Orange; she fi nished her remarkable career by being inducted into the Orange Plus Hall of Fame in 1988. As a senior, she was named BIG EAST Player of the Year, Syracuse's Most Valuable Player and team captain. A scholar-athlete, Persico-Smith fi nished her dual degree in three years. She was named a GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-American and a member of the BIG EAST All-Academic team. In 1985, she received the Verhulst Award, which is given to Syracuse's Sportswoman of the Year.

Still active on the court, Persico-Smith is a 25-year veteran and is one of the most decorated players in history at the Empire State Games. This year the New York City women's team became the fi rst team in the open division to win four consecutive gold medals, as it blanked Western New York, 3-0. In 2006, the squad captured the gold medal for the third consecutive year. Persico-Smith led teams to the gold medal in 1998 and 2004-07, the silver in 2002-03 and the bronze medal in 1999. For the past five years, she has acted as a player and coach for the New York City team, which included former Red Storm standouts Lynn Klein ('96), Olga Roudovski ('00), Yana Ruban ('05), Jackie Ahlers ('06), Shameka Mitchell ('06), Anicia Wood ('06) and Patti Hardimon ('07). Persico-Smith has also played for the prestigious nationally-recognized club team, Creole, which fi nished fi fth in the nation in 1993 and 1995.

Persico-Smith has had vast and varied experiences working with players at many ages and talent levels. She has worked camps and clinics for many years at St. Anthony's High School, Kellenberg, St. Francis Prep as well as universities such as Hofstra and Syracuse. During the summer of 2003, Persico-Smith successfully initiated a volleyball clinic at St. John's, with the summer of 2007 being its most successful year.

In 1991, St. Francis Prep grad Persico-Smith was selected as a Catholic High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame inaugural member. In 2004, she was inducted into the St. Francis Prep High School Hall of Fame, which also includes Joe Torre and Vince Lombardi. In addition, she was recently awarded a seat on the St. Francis Prep Board of Trustees. In May 2004, she received the Outstanding Administrator's Award for her accomplishments at St. John's from University President Rev. Donald J. Harrington, C.M.

Persico-Smith also serves on several committees to promote the sport of volleyball. From 2001-03, she served on the AVCA Coaches Board, representing the BIG EAST, as well as the AVCA Television Committee, a subcommittee of the Coaches Board. The board is charged with improving and promoting Division I volleyball across the country. It was on this committee that Persico-Smith helped secure a collegiate volleyball cable television contract that includes the volleyball game of the week on College Sports Television (CSTV). She is also a sponsor of the Alexia Foundation for World Peace, a non-profi t organization set up in memory of her friend and Syracuse teammate Alexia Tsairis, who was a victim of the terrorist bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbei, Scotland, at the age of 20.

Away from volleyball, Persico-Smith is very active on the basketball court. In 1999, she guided her Hoop-It-Up basketball team to the championship. She can also be found singing the National Anthem at many St. John's sporting events including men's basketball games at Madison Square Garden and Carnesecca Arena, baseball games and even her own volleyball games. In 2002, she was one of 32 fi nalists for the New Jersey Idol Amateur singing contest.

In 2006, Persico-Smith directed the Red Storm to its most successful season in program history, posting a 31-5 overall record and a perfect BIG EAST record at 14-0. It was the fi rst time a squad went undefeated in conference play since 2001. The Red Storm opened the season with a nine-match winning streak, hitting its only bump in the road against then No. 9 USC at the 2007 Gamecock Invitational. St. John's posted several program fi rsts as it defeated Notre Dame on the road on Oct. 22, marking its fi rst victory over the Fighting Irish since the series began in 1995. The Red Storm broke the program's record for three-game sweeps in a single season with 23; the previous record was 20 in the 2005 season. St. John's made its fourth appearance at the BIG EAST Championships, winning its fi rst-ever postseason match against USF in the quarterfi nals and was also the only BIG EAST team to advance to the second round of the 2006 NCAA Championship, as it defeated Albany, 3-1, in the first round.

In 2006, Lena Yee became the program's fi rst BIG EAST Libero of the Year while earning second team All-BIG EAST honors. Outside hitter Hui Ping Huang and setter Wioleta Leszczynska earned All-Northeast Region and All-America honorable mention accolades, as well as fi rst and second team All-BIG EAST honors, respectively. Hardimon became the program's fi rst player since 2003 to earn ECAC Player of the Week and went on to win three BIG EAST Player of the Week honors as well as being a fi rst team all-conference selection. A second team all-conference selection, Latoya Blunt was also named a National Strength and Conditioning Association (NCSA) All-American.

The 2005 Red Storm put together one of the top four strongest campaigns in program history. Finishing 23-9 overall, and 9-5 in conference action, the Red Storm made its third appearance in 12 years and fi nished regionally ranked by the AVCA. The team posted one of the greatest turnarounds in program and conference history, improving from its 15-16 overall record and 1-9 BIG EAST mark in 2004. Despite their fi rst losing season in the last seven years (15-16), the 2004 Red Storm took home two in-season tournament titles, along with collecting its 200th program victory with a 3-1 triumph over Iona at home.

During the 2003 season, the Red Storm set a then single-season mark for wins with a 26-9 overall record, which was broke by the 2006 squad with 31 victories. Persico-Smith preceded the 2003 season with fi ve consecutive winning seasons (1998-2002). In 2000, Persico-Smith guided the Red Storm to a 25-8 overall record and a 7-4 BIG EAST mark. In 1999, St. John's fi nished with a 16-16 record, as Persico-Smith picked up her 100th career victory with a 3-0 sweep of conference foe West Virginia on Oct. 9.

After posting a 10-25 record in her first season as St. John's head coach in 1994, Persico-Smith guided the Red Storm to a 24-10 overall record, including a 7-4 slate in conference play, marking yet again one of the biggest turnarounds in BIG EAST history in just her second season. The 1995 squad, which fi nished fi fth in the conference standings, qualifi ed for the program's fi rst BIG EAST Championship appearance. The Red Storm followed up the success of the 1995 campaign, with a 24-7 record in 1996 and its second trip to the conference championships.

Under her tutelage, Persico-Smith's athletes have excelled both on and off the court.

Since the program's inception in 1994, the cumulative team grade point average has never fallen below a 3.0 and a total of 50 student-athletes have earned BIG EAST Academic All-Star honors.

Ahlers became the fi rst Red Storm player to earn national recognition as an All-American honorable mention in 2003. During that season, Ahlers set what was then a BIG EAST Conference and St. John's record for kills in a single season (608) and received fi rst team All-BIG EAST and All-Northeast Region honors. One year later, she again broke the school and conference record for kills in a single season with 646 in addition to taking home the same three postseason honors from the previous campaign. In 2000, Roudovski became St. John's fi rst All-BIG EAST fi rst team honoree in addition to being named to the All-Northeast Region team, while Robyn Kurasaki was honored as both the BIG EAST Rookie of the Year and Northeast Region Freshman of the Year.

Off the court, members of the Red Storm volleyball team have not only received acclaim from the University, but also the BIG EAST Conference. Kristine Knobel, Victoria Migliore and Amanda Berg received $2,000 postgraduate scholarships for excelling on the court and in the classroom. In 2004, Kurasaki received the prestigious NIT Daniel E. Quilty Student-Athlete Award that is given to the top male and female athlete that illustrates academic achievement, excellence in athletics and active participation in community service. In 2006, Caitlin Rimgaila was named to ESPN The Magazine's Academic All-District fi rst team and St. John's Aeropostale/BIG EAST Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

In 2000, Persico-Smith established the Carmine John Persico Volleyball Award in loving memory of her father, a loyal supporter of the St. John's volleyball program. This award is presented to a fan or supporter of the volleyball program for distinguished, devoted and loyal support, the qualities most exemplifi ed by Mr. Persico. She also established the Carmine John Persico Memorial Fund. Generous donations to this fund have brought about the institution of two other volleyball awards. The Margaret Fitzpatrick, S.C., Award is presented to a member of the volleyball team who exhibits athletic excellence, sportsmanship and exceptional academic standing as a model student-athlete. The Kathleen Murphy Meehan Award is presented to a member of the volleyball team who exhibits the leadership, integrity, sponsorship and dedication for whom the award is named. In 2006, Hardimon and Casie Brooks received these awards, respectively.

Those awards are two of many presented annually at the St. John's Athletic Awards Dinner. Additionally, the Rickard F. McSwiney Award is awarded to the male and female student- athlete who best typifi es the "St. John's man and woman." During the past few years, several members of the volleyball team have been the proud recipients of this award. In 1997, Paula and Victoria Migliore shared the honor; in 1998, the award was presented to Connie Chae; in 1999, Knobel took home the award; in 2000, Berg was honored; in 2004 Kurasaki received the accolade and in 2006, Hardimon was given the award.

In 2005, Rimgaila joined eight other former volleyball players to be named to the prestigious President's Society. They include Rimgaila, Berg, Kurasaki, the Migliore twins, Knobel, Stephanie Leuhr, Jenna Panatier and Meaghan Creedon. In 2001, Allison Heckl was selected to represent St. John's at the International Peace and Development Conference in Vietnam.