By Mark Walters

While the Hofstra wrestling team celebrated another banner year, the postseason acknowledgements went further than the mat. To go along with the program’s eighth consecutive CAA Title and ninth straight conference title, three individual CAA Champions, eight NCAA Tournament qualifiers, Tom Shifflet’s CAA Coach of the Year Award and PJ Gillespie’s CAA Rookie of the Year Award, Lou Ruggirello added to the hardware by snagging the CAA Wrestling Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award. The conference made the announcement recently out of its headquarters in Richmond, Virginia.

The junior marketing major is a three-time Hofstra Athletics Academics Honor Roll selection as well as a member of the Dean’s List. He has also captured the CAA Commissioner’s Award three times. In 2008 Ruggirello was named to the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) All-Academic team.

This season Ruggirello was stellar on the mat, capturing his third consecutive CAA Championship at 133 pounds and qualifying for his third NCAA Tournament, coming one win shy of reaching All-American status. He went 30-5 on the year, including 15-1 in dual matches and an unblemished conference dual record. Ruggirello won the Brockport/Oklahoma Gold Classic and was second at the Missouri Open and Southern Scuffle this season. He currently holds an impressive 99-21 record.

The Walden, New York, native was one of 22 CAA scholar athletes voted on by the sports information directors of each CAA member institution. Nominees for the award must be a starter or important reserve on their respective team and must meet a minimum grade point average of 3.20.