(PICTURED L-R: Head Men's Swimming Coach Charles Lampasso, Scholar-Athlete Agustin Lastra, Head Men's Cross Country Coach Matt Soja)

The CUNY Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) on Wednesday, May 18, hosted their 25th Annual Michael Steuerman Scholar-Athlete Awards Dinner on the campus of Queens College in Flushing, New York.

The Bearcats were a busy group winning one major scholar-athlete of the year award, three scholar-athlete honorable mentions, one "Friend of CUNY Award", and the popular CUNYAC Commissioner Cup Trophy. In addition, two all-american men’s volleyball players were honored for their national status and for leading the Bearcats to Baruch’s first-ever final four in any sport.

Agustin Lastra, a two sport athlete on the men’s cross country and swimming teams, was named the 2011 CUNYAC Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Lastra, who also played one year on the men’ soccer team during 2007, led the men’s cross country team to two consecutive, second place final finishes and two consecutive championships for men’s swimming.

As a student, Lastra was even more successful with a 3.8 GPA as a finance major and has earned a job with Goldman Sachs after graduation. The top scholar-athlete award marks the second consecutive year that a Baruch men’s swimmer has won and the fourth time in the past six years that a Baruch athlete brings home the coveted award that includes a free laptop.

Tammer Farid (Men’s Basketball, 3.71 GPA), Megan Bouwens (Women’s Basketball, 3.38 GPA) and Andrea Tepfer (Softball, 3.30 GPA) were each named Honorable Mention Scholar Athletes of the Year for their outstanding efforts in the classroom and playing field.

For the second consecutive year and fourth time in the past six years, the Baruch athletic program won the CUNYAC Commissioner Cup Trophy.

The Bearcats won championships in four sports (men’s volleyball, women’s basketball, men’s & women’s swimming), along with finishing in second place in seven sports (men’s & women’s tennis, men’s & women’s cross country,  women’s volleyball, baseball, softball) to dominate the annual competition among the 10 senior NCAA Division III affiliated CUNY colleges. (Point details at the bottom of this page.)

Eryk Kowalski and Pablo Oliveira were each recognized for the second straight year as Division III Men’s Volleyball All-Americans. The national honor, which is the highest an athlete can receive during their college playing career, included the recognition at the dinner of leading Baruch to the 2011 Molten Final Four.

Dr. Ronald Aaron, a professor of student development & counseling and the athletic department's NCAA faculty representative, was also honored by CUNYAC when he was presented with the "Friend of CUNY Award" by Executive Director Zak Ivkovic.

The Baruch College Athletic Department will host their 39th Annual Varsity Athletic Awards Dinner on Thursday, May 26, at 6:30 pm, in room 14-220 of the Vertical Campus Building.
 
Final CUNYAC Commissioner Cup Points Standing

How are the points tallied?

1. CUNYAC Regular Season Standings: 1st place 10pts, 2nd place 5pts

2. CUNYAC Tournament/Finals Place: 1st place 10pts, 2nd place 5pts, **3rd place 3 pts (**only for cross country or track & field sports)

3. Only the top 10 sports with points count.

4. Example? Women's basketball earns 20 points as the first place regular season finisher (10) and CUNYAC Tournament champion (10). Baseball earns 10 points as the second place regular season finisher (5) and second place in CUNYAC Tournament (5).

All-Time Baruch - CUNYAC Male/Female Scholar-Athletes of the Year
2011- Agustin Lastra (Men's Swimming/Cross Country)
2010 - Justin Wong (Men's Swimming)
2007 - Greg Waldvogel (Men's Volleyball)
2006 - Katherine Maher (Softball)
2001 - Arnold Zelaya (Men's Soccer)
1996 - Sean McGee (Men's Basketball)
1995 - Sybil Smith (Women's Basketball/Volleyball)
1991 - Hilary Williams (Women's Basketball)
1989 - Novella Lewis (Women's Basketball)