Feb. 2, 2006
EASTON, Pa. (www.lafayette.edu) - Senior goalkeeper Mike Tortora (Willington, Conn./E.O. Smith) has been named the 2005 Patriot League Men's Scholar-Athlete of the Year it was announced Thursday by conference officials.
An All-Patriot League Second-Team honoree, Tortora maintains a 3.95 cumulative GPA. The Economics and Business major posted a sparkling 4.0 GPA during the fall semester, one of just two men's soccer players to do so in 2005.
Tortora's not too bad in the goal either, where he led Lafayette to a Patriot League championship in 2005 and an NCAA Tournament appearance. He played all but 184 minutes in the net for Lafayette, registering a 0.90 goals against average with seven shutouts. When it mattered most Tortora was at his best, holding strong for a pair of shutouts in the Patriot League Tournament, including a crucial save in the semifinal shootout against Lehigh. The senior went on to win Patriot League Tournament MVP honors. Through the final seven games of the season approaching the NCAA Tournament, Tortora allowed just one goal.
Tortora was one of six Lafayette student-athletes to earn Patriot League Academic Honor Roll distinction, an award which requires a student-athlete achieve a 3.2 GPA during the fall semester while also earning a varsity letter. His fellow captain Ryan McCaughey (Medford, N.J./Shawnee), an Economics and Business major, was the other Patriot League men's soccer player to achieve the perfect 4.0 GPA feat in the fall.
Senior Kevin Chysna (Northboro, Mass./Algonquin) and sophomores Ori Kalmus (Princeton Junction, N.J./West Windsor-Plainsboro) Mark Price (Dublin, Ohio/Scioto) and Mike Tilley (North Andover, Mass./North Andover) also earned placement on the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll which recognized 57 student-athletes across the Patriot League.
The Leopards finished the season with a 13-5-2 record and the team's fifth straight winning season. In 2006, Lafayette will welcome back five sophomores, three juniors and two freshman who all spent some time in the starting lineup.
