Louison, Megafu, Retas and Raccuglia Earn USCAA All-American Recognition; Seven Receive All-Academic Honors

UNIONTOWN, Pa. – At the banquet commencing the 2015 United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) National Basketball Championships, nine St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) student-athletes received recognition for outstanding performance on the court and in the classroom.

Senior David Louison (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) highlighted the night's award winners honored as Division I Men's Basketball Student-Athlete of the Year and collected his third First Team All-American accolade. Junior Michael Megafu (Brooklyn, N.Y./Nazareth Regional) was honored as a Second Team All-American.

For the women, senior Samantha Retas (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Kearney) was named a Second Team All-American and senior Taylor Raccuglia (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Kearney) received All-American honorable mention honors.

In total, seven were named to the National All-Academic Team. Louison and Megafu also receiving academic honors along with senior Raul Urshela (Orlando, Fla./Colonial) and junior Nolan Parr (Red Hook, N.Y./Red Hook Central) for the men's team. Three Lady Bears received All-Academic honors—junior Erica Eddy (Glendale, N.Y./Christ the King), sophomore Kristen Candelaria (Jamaica, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) and Kristin Ferrigno (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Kearney).

Adding to his long list of athletic and academic accolades, Louison is now a three-time First Team All-American and All-Academic recipient, claiming the awards in his sophomore and junior seasons as well. The senior becomes the first SJC student-athlete in any sport to receive First Team All-American honors and All-Academic honors in three consecutive seasons.

Louison was also recently named to the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (HVIAC) All-Conference Team and received the inaugural HVIAC Player of the Year. In addition, the forward was selected to the 2014-15 Capital One Academic All-America® Division III Men's Basketball First Team, the first Brooklyn Campus student-athlete to receive the esteemed honor.

Louison ranks 11th in the USCAA in scoring (16.5 ppg) and third in rebounding (11.3 rpg), leading the Bears in both categories. The one-time Player of the Week led St. Joseph's in scoring nine times and rebounding a team-high 15 times. The reliable forward has reached double-digit scoring in 23 of 27 games. In addition, Louison's 19 double-doubles are good for third most in NCAA Division III.

Megafu repeats as a Second Team All-American also receiving All-American honorable mention in his rookie season. The junior also takes home All-Academic Team honors for the second consecutive year.

Alongside Louison, Megafu was also named to the HVIAC All-Conference Team for his standout performance this season. The forward ranks second on the team in scoring (16.0 ppg) and sixth in the USCAA in rebounding (10.0 rpg). He also makes the most of his shot attempts, leading the Bears and ranking second in the USCAA with a highly efficient 60.2 shooting percentage. Megafu has been St. Joseph's leading rebounder in 11 games and leading scorer in a team-high 14, picking up an HVIAC Player of the Week award along the way.

Retas earns year-end honors from the USCAA for the second time in her career, earning First Team All-American two years ago. The senior concluded her career with team-highs 13.3 points per game and 12.7 rebounds per contest, which was ranked second in the USCAA. The All-HVIAC selection and HVIAC Tournament MVP recorded a team-best 14 double-doubles on the season. The senior became the all-time Lady Bears' leader in rebounds, and also part of the prestigious 1,000 point/1,000 rebound club en route to St. Joseph's HVIAC Championship.

The senior Raccuglia takes home honorable mention for her first USCAA honors in her career. The one-time USCAA Player of the Week and two-time HVIAC All-Conference member tallied 13.0 points per contest, including six games of 20 points or more. She also added 7.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists, both second on the team. The senior also was second in the association with 2.5 blocks per game, and became the all-time Lady Bears' leader in blocked shots.

Urshela and Parr are each first-time recipients of the All-Academic honor. Urshela appeared in 12 games and started one. The highlight of his senior season came in a conference victory over King's on February 7 when he tallied career highs in points (9) and boards (5). Parr made 16 appearances in his junior campaign. He netted a season-high six points in a win over La Verne in Orange, California on December 29. On February 7 against King's, he matched his season-best with a pair of threes in addition to three boards and four dimes.

This is Eddy's second straight season with All-Academic Team honors with the Lady Bears. The junior appeared in 27 games, averaging 3.7 points and 2.4 rebounds per contest. Eddy was the most efficient shooter on the team from beyond the arc, hitting a team-high 35.3% from three-point range. She poured in a season-high 11 points along with three rebounds and three assists in a victory over New Rochelle on February 17th.

For Candelaria, this is her first All-Academic honor. The sophomore appeared in 25 games for the Lady Bears this season. She averaged 3.1 rebounds along with 1.9 points in her second season with the team. Candelaria also surpassed her career-high in points this season, totaling 13 points along with five rebounds in a win over Valley Forge on January 31st.

This is Ferrigno's first All-Academic Team nomination. The sophomore averaged 2.7 points and 2.8 rebounds in her first season with the Lady Bears. She was second on the team shooting 71.4 % from the charity stripe. Ferrigno also secured a career-best 10 rebounds against John Jay on February 8th and tallied a career-high eight points in a win against USCAA foe Briarcliffe on January 21st.

The Bears (18-9) and Lady Bears (17-11) are currently in Uniontown, Pa. and will commence their national championship run tomorrow, March 4. The No. 8 Lady Bears will look to play Cinderella against No. 1 and defending national champion Concordia College (AL) at 10 a.m. while the No. 6 Bears will square off with No. 3 Rochester College at 3 p.m. Follow the team's championship runs with live stats and video on SJCBears.com