Top 10 Moments: #6 – Bears and Lady Bears Athletes Recognized For Outstanding Seasons

The 2012-13 sports season at St. Joseph’s concluded with many accolades for our student-athletes. Number six on our countdown is honoring five of these athletes for their standout performances from the last year. 

Samantha Retas was named First-Team All-American by the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) and Association of Division III Independents (AD3I) Player of the Year after capping an outstanding season in which she averaged a double-double with 13 points and 10.7 rebounds per game. Retas becomes the first Lady Bear to be named First-Team All-American since assistant coach Annamarie Ciorciari received the honor in 2006. The sophomore forward helped lead the Lady Bears basketball team to their fifth Hudson Valley Women’s Athletic Conference (HVWAC) title by blocking five shots against Albany Pharmacy in the championship game.

Another hoops star that had an excellent season for the Bears was David Louison. Louison received USCAA First Team All-American honors and was named AD3I First Team All-Independent for the second year in a row. The sophomore forward led the Bears in points per game, rebounds and blocked shots averaging 13.5, 11.5 and 1.2 respectively. The Brooklyn native recorded 14 double-doubles (#18 in Div. III) on the season and his 11.5 rebounds per game ranked #6 in the nation. Louison, the first First-Team All-American selection since Mike Donnelly in 2007, also became the programs' all-time leading shot blocker in just his second season at St. Joseph’s.

The Bears baseball team continues to churn out successful seasons thanks to players like Joe Mendez and Rosario DiLorenzo. Mendez, a power-hitting right fielder, was named First-Team All-New York Region by D3baseball.com, the first Bear to receive this honor, after completing a strong 2013 campaign batting .365 with four home runs and a team-high 41 RBI (No. 56 in Division III). The junior from Staten Island set a school record with 19 doubles this season, which ranked him 14th in Division III. In addition to the All-New York honor, Mendez was named AD3I First Team All-Independent in his third season with the Bears.

DiLorenzo received AD3I’s Co-Pitcher of the Year honor in his first season at St. Joseph’s. The right-hander exploded onto the scene during his freshman campaign to lead the Bears rotation, starting 11 games and tossing 63.1 innings to go along with a 3.41 ERA and 56 punch-outs. DiLorenzo limited opponents to a .228 batting average and fanned an impressive 7.96 batters per nine innings.

Last but certainly not least, is the recently graduated Lady Bear softball backstop Danielle Marino. Marino added to her collection of career accolades by being named AD3I Co-Player of the Year. The senior catcher concluded her illustrious four-year career by batting .415 with three home runs, 28 RBI, 13 doubles and four triples on 39 hits, all team highs. Marino reached the century mark in career hits this year en route to her fourth All-Independent bid.  Marino was also named to the All-Hudson Valley Women's Athletic Conference Team in 2013 after leading St. Joseph's to their fifth-straight HVWAC Tournament title.

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Our summer feature on www.SJCBears.com, we look back at the highlights from the 2012-2013 season in St. Joseph’s College Brooklyn Athletics. We will reveal a new moment on the list every Wednesday throughout the summer ending in August right before the start of the new season. 

#10 – Mangan Captures First Cross Country Win in Lady Bears History
#9 – Diamonds Sparkle on the Dance Floor and in the Classroom
#8 – Softball Rallies From Eight Down, Caps Season With HVWAC Crown
#7 – Former Bears and Lady Bears Shine in Professional Spotlight
#6 – Bears and Lady Bears Athletes Recognized for Outstanding Seasons  
#5 – Check back on July 24th!