Terrier Sports
Women’s Basketball Best in Class
The 2015–2016 St. Francis Women’s basketball team recorded the highest grade point average in
the nation for Division I programs with a 3.712 cumulative team GPA.
I
“
t’s great to be number one in the country in anything because
that’s something that the overwhelming majority of college
student-athletes never get the chance to be,” said Terriers’
Head Coach John Thurston. “I’m extremely happy for the players.
They did this. It took a lot of hard work and effort on their part.”
The Terriers have made the Academic Top 25 for five consecutive
years, placing in the top four in each of the last four seasons under
Thurston, including a pair of second place finishes in 2012–13 and
in 2014–15.
“I also want to congratulate our alumni, especially our recent alumni
who established the culture and the environment that’s needed for
this type of recognition to take place,” added Coach Thurston, who
last year coached the women to the College’s first ever NCAA March
Madness appearance when they won the 2015 NEC Tournament. ●
Leah Fechko ’16 Signs
Vincent Bezecourt ’16 Inks
Contract With New York Red Bulls II Professional Contract In Ireland
T
erriers’ All-American soccer player Vincent Bezecourt ’16 got
his wings, signing a professional contract with the New York Red
Bulls II of the United Soccer League.
“He came to St. Francis College with the attitude of making himself
a better player every day on and off the field,” said Terriers’ Head
Coach Tom Giovatto. “Vince’s commitment and positive energy carried
through to every member of our team and helped put St. Francis soccer
back in the national rankings last season. It shows our current players
and recruits that if they put in the work they can play professionally
after school.”
The highly decorated Bezecourt, who led the Terriers to the 2014
Northeast Conference Championship and a #22 national ranking, played
in five preseason games with the Red Bulls prior to the 2016 season.
On Feb. 4, the midfielder scored
a goal in a 5–0 victory over the
Montreal Impact. He scored his
first two goals for Red Bulls II in
August against the Harrisburg
City Islanders.
Bezecourt, who comes from
Aire sur l’Adour in the southwest
of France, led the Terriers last
season tallying seven goals.
In December, the National Soccer
Coaches Association of America
named him Third Team AllAmerican. Bezecourt was also
named to the All-Northeast
Regional First-Team in 2015.●
I
rish eyes will be smiling when women’s basketball graduate Leah
Fechko ’16 takes the court as a professional for the Killester
Basketball Club in Dublin, Ireland.
“It is very gratifying to see one of our players fulfilling their dream and
for Leah it was to be able to play overseas,” said Terriers’ Head Coach
John Thurston. “She is a rare talent who is ideally suited for International
rules. We look forward to following her throughout her career.”
Fechko is the fourth player from the Terriers’ 2014–15 NEC
Championship team to sign as a professional. Her former teammates
Katie Fox ’15 and Sarah Benedetti ’15 both also play professionally in
Ireland and Eilidh Simpson ’15 plays professionally in Barcelona.
The Twinsburg, Ohio, native put together a significant list of accomplishments in 2016. Fechko was named the NEC Defensive Player of the
Year and was selected to the All-NEC First
Team. She was also named the St. Francis
Brooklyn Female Athlete of the Year.
Fechko became the 16th woman to
score 1,000 career-points and is the only
player in the school’s program history
(men’s or women’s) to score 1,200 points,
grab 850 rebounds, dish out 250 assists,
and register 200 steals in a career.
“I’m thankful to have the opportunity
to continue to play the game I love in
another country,” Fechko stated. “I am
excited to see where basketball takes me
and to travel the world. I couldn’t thank my
support system of family, friends, teammates and coaches enough for believing
in me to make my dreams a reality.” ●
ST. FRANCIS COLLEGE TERRIER | FALL 2016 | 11