Army West Point Athletics
Center for Enhanced Performance Tabs February Scholar-Athletes
March 01, 2022 | General, Men's Tennis, Women's Tennis, Wrestling
The honorees join 13 other scholar-athletes that have received the nod throughout the 2021-22 academic year, including recipients from September (Jacob Suppiah - MSOC and David Dickerson - SFB), October (Nicole Wantlin - WRUGBY, Georgia Jones - WXC and Marshall Beatty - MXC), November (Connor Bishop - FB, Isabella Sullivan - VB), December (Kevin Lin – MSD, Sammie Edwards – WSD, Jake Felker – HKY) and January (Anusha Pakkam - RIFLE, Aaron Duhart - MBB, Kate Murray - WBB).Â
Michael Rooney - Sophomore - Men's Tennis - Hinsdale, Ill.Â
Cadet Rooney has been a role model and team leader in the classroom. In the most recent term, he earned over a 4.0 academic program score while his cumulative academic program score is 4.097. As the Head Tennis Officer Representative and the department head where Rooney is pursuing his degree, COL Raftery explains "these are remarkable achievements, especially considering that Michael is majoring in the very academically challenging computer science program. His academic major is very much a need of the Army in the cyberspace domain. Along with the leadership and teamwork skills he is developing as a member of the men's tennis team, his scholarly and athletic excellence will serve both Michael and the Army well." CDT Rooney is a strong performer across all four the USMA curricular pillars of academic, military, physical, and character, as evidenced by his combined cumulative GPA of 4.071.
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Jim Poling, Head Men's Tennis Coach: "Michael Rooney has been a great asset to our program. He leads by example and is mature beyond his years. Also, he is one of the hardest workers we have and our most improved player. We are proud to have him on our team."
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David Gorshein, Men's Tennis Co-Captain:Â "Michael serves a vital role on the men's yennis team as he raises his teammates both physically and academically. Michael helps teammates with their studies on a daily basis and works as hard as anyone else on the team at practice. Additionally, his objectively high-level cadet performance serves as an example to our entire team. Michael is an inspirational leader on our team as he drives others to work hard, perform at a high level, and care for others."
Sam Kesti, Men's Tennis Co-Captain:Â "Michael is an excellent nominee as a scholar-athlete because he exemplifies exactly what a Cadet should be. He understands the importance of being a team player and is always the first one to help a teammate. He serves as a steward of the team and all of our values, and clearly displays excellence in all pillars of being a cadet."
Justine Dondonay - Sophomore - Women's Tennis - Santa Clarita, Calif.Â
Cadet Dondonay is a rising star both on the court for Army Women's Tennis and in the classroom. As a psychology major, Justine has been a hardworking and dedicated student who has steadily improved her academic performance across her three semesters here, currently maintaining a 3.16 academic program score and a 3.12 Cumulative GPA. She has made the Dean's List for the past two academic semesters and is off to a strong start in AYT 22-2.
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Justine is having a phenomenal season on the tennis court. She is undefeated in singles this year, boasting a perfect 11-0 record. This record includes two particularly impressive victories. On Jan. 23, Army took on the tough DePaul Blue Demons, Big East conference champions in 2019 and runners-up in 2021. After clinching the doubles point for Army with her partner Carolyn Ahn, Justine fought hard for a come-from-behind victory at #4 singles. After dropping the first set 5-7, she battled back to win the second set 7-5, then dominated 6-2 in the third set which clinched the overall victory for Army.
Recently, Justine was named the most valuable player in Army's thrilling 4-3 win over Air Force on College Match Day. Air Force was undefeated this season and a heavy favorite headed into the match. Army was down 1-3 in the match after dropping the first few points when the comeback began. With the match tied at 3-3, Justine was the only player remaining on court and the entire match was in her hands. Having lost her first set 6-7 in a tiebreak, Justine battled back to win the second set 7-6 in another intense tiebreak. In the final set, with all of the Army and Air Force players from both the men's and women's teams surrounding her court, a packed and boisterous crowd in the stands, and on national television, she delivered an incredible and gutsy performance to claw her way back from a 3-4 deficit, aggressively go for her shots, and deliver the victory to Army with a 6-4 final set score.
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Paul Peck, Head Women's Tennis Coach: "Cadet Dondonay is the quintessential student athlete. She excels in all three pillars, academic, physical and military. Besides getting good grades she recently clinched the Silver star over Air Force in a thrilling come from behind three set match to help her team win the Gideon Cup, the trophy awarded to the winning team between Army and Air Force. She is also undefeated for the season in singles, 11-0."
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Ben Pasiuk - Sophomore - Wrestling - Carrollton, Ohio
Cadet Pasiuk has earned a 3.24 cumulative GPA during his first three semesters at the United States Military Academy. As an engineering management major, Ben's consistent academic performance includes a 3.2 academic program score and Dean's List recognition for all three terms at the Academy. Pasiuk has maintained a rigorous course load that has included at least 18 credit hours in each term. Â
Pasiuk maintains a 3.2 military program score and currently serves as a team leader in Company C4. His instructors often note his positivity and consistent demonstration of a desire to improve. Pasiuk has compiled an outstanding 4.0 physical program score. His fitness is highlighted by a remarkable 593 (out of 600) on the Army Combat Fitness Test. For AY21, he earned the Master of the Sword Award for his overall performance in the Physical Program. Â
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Ben is one of Army West Point Wrestling's top competitors. He is a returning EIWA Conference Champion, NCAA Tournament Qualifier, member of the Amateur Wrestling News All-Rookie Team, and earned the EIWA Academic Achievement Award. Â
Kevin Ward, Head Wrestling Coach: "Ben Pasiuk isn't just a leader on the wrestling mat, he sets an incredible example in the way he disciplines himself in his personal life. His dedication to excellence shows across all pillars as he continues to excel academically, physically, and athletically."
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Players Mentioned
