Gros and Culley Earn BIG EAST/Aeropostale Scholar Athlete Award
Feb 12 | General
PISCATAWAY, NJ – Senior men’s soccer player Josh Gros (Mechanicsburg, PA) and senior women’s cross country and track performer Julie Culley (Lebanon, NJ) were two of 26 student-athletes (13 male and 13 female) to win BIG EAST/Aeropostale Scholar-Athlete awards for the 2003-04 academic year, the league announced on Thursday.
St. John’s soccer standout Chris Wingert took home the conference’s Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award, while Notre Dame’s Vanessa Pruzinsky, a forward for the Irish soccer team, was awarded the league’s Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
GROS |
Gros was selected by the DC United with the 34th overall pick of the 2004 Major League Soccer (MLS) SuperDraft on Jan. 16. Gros ended his collegiate career with 60 points on 22 goals and 16 assists. This past season, he tallied 16 goals and five assists for 37 points to finish 10th in the Rutgers single season record book for points and goals. He was named the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year at the Conference’s annual awards banquet in November. Gros was named a Third Team All-American by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), while earning Second Team honors by College Soccer News in 2003. Gros was also an All-BIG EAST First Team selection, while earning league Player of the Week accolades three times in 2003, the most of any player in the conference. He was an adidas/NSCAA Mid-Atlantic All-Region First Team selection. He garnered National Player of the Week laurels by College Soccer News on Sept. 22. The senior was among the national leaders in scoring, finishing 15th in goals (0.73) and 21st in points (1.68) per game. Gros’ five game-winning goals are tied for sixth on the Rutgers single-season charts. He scored at least one goal in 13 of 22 matches this past season, leading Rutgers to a 9-3-1 record in those games.
Gros is a three-year member of the BIG EAST Academic All-Star Team and Athletic Director’s Honor Roll. He was named to the Dean’s List for the Fall 2003 semester. A civil engineering major, Gros has a 3.045 cumulative GPA through the Fall semester. He spent last summer in Officer Candidate School as part of the Unites States Marine Corps. Gros is also a member of the Rutgers Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). He spent several hours last semester with his teammates taking part in the America Scores program, teaching soccer skills and stressing the importance of education to New York City youths.
The men’s soccer team posted an 11-7-4 record in 2003, advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. RU finished fourth in the BIG EAST regular season standings, reaching the semifinals of the conference tournament. The Scarlet Knights ended their season with a 3-2 loss at No. 21 Akron on Nov. 26 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. They finished the season tied for 23rd in the final NSCAA national rankings.
CULLEY
|
Culley, a Marketing & Political Science major, is a three-year captain and Most Valuable Player of the Cross Country team. In 2003, she was awarded the Co-MVP and Co-Most Improved Player of the track team. Culley, who won the Most Improved Player for the cross country team in 2000 and 2002, currently holds school records in the 3000m (9:93.02) and 5000m (16:29.84). She was named to the 2002 All-BIG EAST team. Culley is also a three-year member of the All-Mid-Atlantic Region cross country team and was named the New Jersey Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women – Woman of the Year in 2001 and 2002. She qualified for the NCAA cross country championships in 2000 and 2002, earning All-American honors in 2002.
Culley is a three-year member of the BIG EAST Academic All-Star Team and Athletic Director’s Honor Roll. She has made the Dean’s list at Rutgers the past three years and his a three-time National Academic All-American. She is a member of the Alpha Kappa Psi professional business fraternity at Rutgers where she served as community service coordinator. Culley has devoted an extensive amount of time helping her school and her community. She collects donations from New Jersey stores to donate to schools, while aiding and encouraging cooperative learning with local children. She participated in the Feed the Children campaign that provided care packages for disaster relief victims and underprivileged families. Culley also took part in the Adopt-A-Family Program and served as coordinator of the local youth running program. She assisted local elementary schools with their career day functions and took part in the Rutgers Student-Athlete Toy Drive, while serving as team director for March of Dimes.
Rutgers swimmer Erin McIntyre, a three-time NCAA qualifier and current assistant coach with the Scarlet Knights men’s and women’s swimming team was named the BIG EAST/Aeropostale Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the 2002-03 academic year.
