Alumni Student-Athletes Make News

NCAA athletes Elyse Morris ’17, Nick Jung ’17 and Skyler Rivera ’18 distinguished themselves in the classroom and on the field during the 2020-21 academic year.

This was the final year of an illustrious softball career at St. John’s University (NCAA Division 1) for Elyse Morris ’17, who graduated with a biology and Spanish degree in May. Her St. John’s highlights include team captain, Big East regular season champion, multiple Big East All-Academic team selections, founding member of the Athletics Council on Community, Culture & Social Justice, member of the 2020 team with the highest GPA in the Big East and member of Chi Alpha Sigma. Morris is enrolled in Notre Dame’s Master of Science in Management program with the potential to use another year of eligibility. She hopes to play for the Fighting Irish during the spring season. During her Webb career, Morris received the Dan Pride Award given to an athlete who characterizes hard work, determination, and dedication in the athletics arena. She also received the VWS Freshman Athlete of the Year Award.

Nick Jung ’17 was one of the six Pomona-Pitzer football players named to the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame’s 2021 NFF Hampshire Honor Society. Nominated by their respective schools, members of the NFF Hampshire Honor Society must have attained a minimum undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.2 (4.0 scale); met all NCAA/NAIA-mandated progress toward degree requirements; and have been starters or significant contributors throughout the 2020-21 season. Pomona-Pitzer competes in the NCAA’s Division III Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC). At Webb, Jung was a day student and a member of the Honor Committee.

Skyler Rivera ‘18 is a coxswain for the women’s rowing team at Syracuse University (Division 1). “This (last) season my team went out with big goals – to be a top 10 team in the country. In 2019, we missed out on an at-large bid to NCAAs, but we continued to train hard, finding speed and building our team culture. This year we had an amazing season with great showings at big regattas and received an at-large bid to the NCAA championships. I coxed the varsity 4 that placed 11th in the nation, boosting our team to an overall 10th-place finish, the best NCAA finish in our program’s history. It feels great to be a part of an historic team. I have one more season left with the Orange and I can’t wait to see what we can do next year.” At Webb, Rivera was a day student who served as an Admission Fellow and Senior Ambassador.

Go Gauls!