Feb. 7, 2008
Lehigh seniors Terry Mongan and CalvinJohn Smiley were recently recognized by the National Consortium for Academics and Sports (NCAS) and the Scholar-Baller Program as runners-up for the Academic Momentum Award. The award, which is in its inaugural year, was awarded to eight male and eight female student-athletes, while runner-up status was given to total of 24 student-athletes. In order to be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be a sophomore, junior or senior who has shown marked improvements in the classroom setting.
Mongan, a senior marketing major from Malvern, Pa., is a member of the Lehigh Field Hockey and Swimming and Diving teams. As captain of the field hockey squad in 2007, Mongan started all 18 games and achieved All-Patriot League status for the second-straight year as a defenseman. In the pool, Mongan competes in the Freestyle events for the Mountain Hawks.
Smiley, a senior double major in political science and African studies who hails from South Plainfield, N.J., is also a member of the Lehigh Swimming and Diving team. Smiley competes in the Freestyle events for Lehigh, and finished in the top-25 in two events at the 2007 Patriot League Championships. In the classroom, Smiley has been a member of the Dean's List, which requires at least a 3.60 GPA.
The NCAS is an ever-growing organization of colleges and universities that provides opportunities for current and former student-athletes to continue their pursuit of higher education, while working in the community with children to address social issues. Established in 1985, the overall mission of the NCAS is "to create a better society by focusing on educational attainment and using the power appeal of sport to positively affect social change."
Established in 1995, the Scholar-Baller movement evolved in response to concerns that the student-athlete's athletic role increasingly superseded the student role. In order to address this issue, the founding members of Scholar-Baller developed a groundbreaking program to bridge the gap between education and sport utilizing student-athletes' passion for entertainment and athletics. As a result, the Scholar-Baller program has produced unprecedented outcomes in student retention and academic achievement.