PHillylacrosse.com, Posted 3/2/18
Saint Joseph’s senior attackman Chris Blewitt, graduate student attackman Mike Rastivo, and senior long stick midfielder Austin Smith have been selected as candidates for the 2018 Senior CLASS Award in collegiate men’s lacrosse, it was announced on Thursday afternoon. Twenty of the top NCAA men’s lacrosse student-athletes who excel both on and off the field were selected as candidates.
For the second year in a row, Saint Joseph’s leads all NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse programs with three candidates selected.
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.
Blewitt, a 2017 All-Northeast Conference First Team attackman, is a finance major out of Lincoln Park, N.J. Blewitt is a member of Saint Joseph’s Delta Sigma Pi national professional business fraternity and is set to work with Mizuho Securities USA as an analyst in their Capital Markets group following graduation. Blewitt also spearheaded the SJU men’s lacrosse program’s efforts in dedicating its upcoming home game (March 7) to the One Love Foundation.
The 2018 Inside Lacrosse NEC Preseason Player of the Year, Rastivo is a native of South Setauket, N.Y. Rastivo graduated from Saint Joseph’s in May 2017 with a degree in business administration and is currently pursing an M.S. in Organization Development and Leadership from SJU. Rastivo, who missed the 2017 campaign due to offseason injury, is primed to make a run at multiple SJU records this year and will begin full-time employment as both the Director of HHH Operations (middle school division) and Offensive Coordinator at Germantown Academy this May.
A finance major out of Olney, Md, Smith was a 2017 All-NEC First Team long stick midfielder. The senior plans to obtain a Commercial Real Estate Analyst position in Washington, D.C. and to pursue a master’s degree in real estate following graduation.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School ®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
The 20 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists later in the season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.
The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced in conjunction with the 2018 NCAA Men’s Lacrosse National Championship in May.