Scranton's Mercuri Named Academic All-American

SCRANTON, Pa. - John Mercuri, a senior on The University of Scranton men's cross-country team, joined some exclusive company this morning.

For the third time in his distinguished career, Mercuri was named academic all-American for college division student-athletes in the sports of men's cross-country and track and field.  The program is sponsored by ESPN The Magazine and voted upon by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).  He joins Mickey Banas (1982-1984) and Clay Yeager (1994-1996) as three-time recipients from The University of Scranton.

In order to qualify, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore, be a key starter or reserve, and have a cumulative grade point average of 3.2-or-higher.  College division is made up of student-athletes from all non-Division I institutions from across the nation.

Mercuri, who earned first-team honors for the second consecutive year after being a second-team selection in 2005, graduated in May, summa cum laude, with degrees in biology and philosophy and a minor in biochemistry.  The recipient of a prestigious NCAA postgraduate scholarship, he was named the 2006 Middle Atlantic States Collegiate Athletic Corporation scholar-athlete for men's cross-country.  He was also named the male recipient of the Father Fitzpatrick and Carlesimo awards at the university's annual Senior Student-Athlete Banquet.  The Fitzpatrick Award is presented annually to the senior student-athlete who has demonstrated outstanding contributions to The University of Scranton community and to society in general, while the Carlesimo Award honors the senior student-athlete who has shown academic and athletic excellence.

In addition to being a four-year letterman, Mercuri served as secretary/treasurer and webmaster for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), president of the university's track and field club, lab researcher for the chemistry department, and webmaster for the Health Professions Organization.  He provided housing demolition and rehabilitation in areas affected by Hurricane Katrina during a service trip to Mississippi in January and has volunteered at the North Pocono Pre-School and Day Center and Jewish Home of Eastern Pennsylvania.

Athletically, Mercuri earned all-NCAA Mideast regional and all-Middle Atlantic Conference honors three times.  In 2005, he became only the fourth male runner in Scranton history to qualify for the NCAA Division III championships.  He also posted 13 top-10 and six top-25 finishes in his career.

The son of John and Cecelia Mercuri of Horseshoe Drive in Moscow, Mercuri will attend the New York University School of Medicine in the fall.