By Dylan Butler
It’s been a hectic month for Chris Wingert, from playing in the national championship game with the St. John’s men’s soccer team to training with the Under-23 national team to graduating a semester early from St. John’s.
And with upcoming Olympic qualifiers and the Major League Soccer Draft in his near future, the defender from Babylon hadn’t had much time to think about the Hermann Award. In fact, he nearly missed the announcement Friday that he had won the honor, college soccer’s version of the Heisman Award.
“It was really quick and they announced the women’s award (North Carolina’s Catherine Reddick). I was surprised because I realized they’d be announcing the men’s winner soon,” Wingert said. “My heart started racing a little bit. It came on me pretty fast and it was exciting when I found out.”
Wingert became the first player in St. John’s history to win the award and the first defender to win the honor since Connecticut’s Chris Gbandi in 2000.
“He’s the most complete player I’ve ever coached,” said St. John’s coach Dave Masur. “I think it’s rare that someone like him is player of the year. The stat line doesn’t follow (as a defender), but he’s carried himself in a professional manner and the coaches saw how much he impacted our program. It’s a credit to Chris how he’s done things in a workmanlike attitude.”
Wingert, who was picked over finalists Joseph Ngwenya from Coastal Carolina and Maryland’s Sumed Ibrahim, also became the first player ever to win both the Hermann Award and the NSCAA Scholar-Athlete Award in the same season.
He is expected to be one of the top players selected in Friday’s MLS Draft, although 14-year-old phenom Freddy Adu is already a lock for the top pick, which goes to DC United.
“It’s a great feeling and a great honor,” Wingert said. “It’s an individual award and soccer’s a team game, as everyone knows. I’d trade it in a heartbeat for a national championship and to have beaten Indiana.”
Another former Red Storm standout received national Player of the Year honors as Shalrie Joseph, a starting midfielder for the New England Revolution, was tabbed Grenada’s “Footballer of the Year” for 2003.
St. John’s 78, Syracuse 61. Kim MacMillan had a game-high 25 points, Secrett Stubblefield had 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Angie Clark grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds as St. John’s (7-6, 1-1 Big East) closed the game out on a 27-7 run to win for the first time in Manley Field House in 11 years.
The Red Storm plays at Rutgers Saturday at 2 p.m.
St. John’s 68, Cornell 43. Clark had 16 points and six rebounds, MacMillan and Shemika Stevens had 15 points apiece, and Danielle Chambers added 10 points off the bench to lead the Red Storm last Thursday at Alumni Hall.
Ally Stamatiades, a freshman forward on the Baruch women’s basketball team, was named CUNY Rookie of the Week to lead the Bearcats to two conference wins last week.
The former Bryant standout from Astoria scored 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the field, grabbed eight rebounds and had three steals in a 64-54 win over John Jay Jan. 7. She followed up with 15 points and 13 rebounds in a 66-50 win over Medgar Evers Friday.
Reach Associate Sports Editor Dylan Butler by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 143.
