Risucci and Norsen Honored as Senior Scholar Athletes
ROCHESTER, NY – Nazareth’s
Carissa Risucci (Deerfield, NY/Whitesboro) and St. John Fisher’s
Jason Norsen (Hamburg, NY/Frontier) have been named the 2012-2013 Empire 8 Senior Scholar-Athlete Award winners, based on a vote by the conference faculty athletic representatives. The award honors one male and one female student-athlete who best exemplify what it means to be a dedicated scholar and athlete over the course of their collegiate careers.
Risucci is a nine-time NCAA All-American and holds four school records; two individual and two relay records. She qualified for the Division III National Meet four times and swam the best race of her career in the 200-yard breaststroke in 2013 resulting in a second-place finish en route to being named the E8 Swimmer of the Year for 2012-13.
The breaststroke specialist is a six-time Empire 8 champion and was named the 2010 Rookie of the Meet for both the Upper New York State (UNYSCSA) and E8 Championship after winning titles in both the 100- and 200-yard breaststrokes. In 2013 she was named the Female Swimmer of the Meet at the UNYSCSA/E8 Championships as she led the Golden Flyers to a fourth-place team finish.
“Carissa exemplifies what the NCAA, Empire 8 and Nazareth College wants a Division III student-athlete to be,” said Nazareth Head Swimming and Diving Coach Martie Staser. “She is a motivated, self-disciplined and hardworking student-athlete who puts academic success as her first priority.”
Risucci amassed a 3.93 grade point average and graduated in a semester early (Dec. 2012) Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Communication and Rhetoric. She is a four-time NCAA Academic All-American, seven-time Empire 8 President’s List honoree and a three-time member of the UNYSCSA All-Academic Team.
Norsen concluded his career at Fisher as the College's all-time leader in blocks, racking up 221 over his four years, while also posting a 61.9 career field goal percentage. He became the 20th Cardinal to reach 1,000 points and ranks 13th on the scoring chart with 1,083 points.
The 6-foot-6 center is a three-time Empire 8 All-Conference selection and was named to the D3hoops.com All-Region Second Team, Division III ECAC Upstate First Team and the NABC East District Second Team during his senior campaign.
“Jason’s attitude, leadership and dedication has inscribed a deep impression on all of his teammates, perspective recruits and coaches”, said Fisher Head Men’s Basketball Coach Rob Kornaker. “He is one of the finest young men to ever come through our basketball program and his outstanding qualities have set the expectation for future players both on and off the court.”
Norsen carries a 3.91 grade point average and will graduate in May 2013 with a degree in Accounting. He is a two-time Capital One Academic All-American and was one of 10 finalists for the prestigious Jostens Trophy for 2012-13 year. Norsen has been a member of the Dean’s List and the Empire 8 President’s List during all seven completed semesters.