FORT MYERS, Fla. - The Suncoast Credit Union FGCU Athletics Scholar-Athletes of the Month for November have been announced with
Wiktoria Czarnecka (Lublin, Poland/Liceum NR 10 W Lublinie) of swimming and diving and
Caleb Catto (Cape Coral, Fla./Southwest Florida Christian Academy) of men's basketball earning the honor. Czarnecka put up top times in the pool against FIU and at the Georgia Tech Invite while Catto helped the Eagles to a 6-2 record in November
A female and male Eagle are chosen as the FGCU Athletics Scholar-Athlete of the Month throughout the academic year. Factors in the selection for the honor include a combination of significant athletic and overall success. Magnus Johnson of men's tennis and Cortney VanLiew of volleyball earned the distinction for the month of October
In two meets in November, Czarnecka put up top times going against some of the top competition in the nation. Against FIU, she won the 50 free and touched second in the 100 free in her two races. At the Georgia Tech Invite against swimmers from the ACC and SEC, she had two top-10 finishes and finished 11th in a third race. She swam a personal best in the 100 fly prelims with a time of 53.18, which is below the NCAA 'B' Cut standard, before finishing sixth in the finals. Czarnecka also finished ninth in the 50 free and 11th in the 100 free, with season-best times in both events.
Out of the pool, Czarnecka excels as well as the psychology major had a 3.88 GPA in the spring en route to being named a CSCAA Scholar All-American for the second-straight year. She has also contributed 40 hours of community service including time spent volunteering at the Winter Games, Night at the Nest, Salvation Army, and Colonial Elementary.
"Congratulations to Tori!" said head coach
Dave Rollins. "Since stepping on campus as a freshman, Tori has been a teammate that always puts her school work and teammates first. We are proud of everything she's accomplished to this point and have no doubt many more special moments are in her future."
In eight games in November, Catto started seven and averaged 8.9 points per game as the Eagles went 6-2. He was also second on the team with 2.9 assists per game while also pulling down 2.8 rebounds per game. Catto led the team in three-point shooting for the month of November as shot 54.5% (13-24) from behind the arc, including a 4-for-4 performance from distance against Rhode Island, leading the Eagles to their biggest win of the season.
The senior has a 3.72 cumulative GPA while majoring in integrated studies and last season, became the first men's basketball player in FGCU program history to be named to the ASUN All-Academic team. He was also one of just nine student-athletes from across all sports to be named an ASUN Winner for Life which honors those who display excellence on and off the playing surface. In addition to his academic work, Catto is also active in the community. He is a member of the FGCU Eagles Council (SAAC) and part of the inaugural class of the E.A.G.L.E. Leadership Institute. He has also contributed 65 hours of community service to the greater Southwest Florida community, including Eagle Reading, Toys for Tots, Seminole Basketball Camps, Night at the Nest, and Thank-A-Thon.
"Caleb has been a tremendous leader for us both on the court and in the classroom. This is another great honor that recognizes his commitment to being a well-rounded student-athlete," said head coach
Michael Fly. "The daily example he sets is an important cornerstone in our program's culture. Congrats to Tori for also earning the honor - she is a top-level competitor and I know Coach Rollins is very proud of her success in and out of the pool as well."
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ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 86 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 14+ seasons at the Division I level. Additionally, in just nine seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 42 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Eight FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport - including women's basketball (No. 25, 2021-22), beach volleyball (No. 20, 2021) and both men's soccer (2018, 2019) and women's soccer (2018) as three of the most recent. In 2016-17, the Green and Blue posted a department-best sixth-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors' Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. In 2018-19, the Eagles had an ASUN and state of Florida best seven teams earn the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate in their sport. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.50 GPA in the classroom in the fall 2020 semester and has outperformed the general University undergraduate population for 24 consecutive semesters. The 2019 Fall, 2020 Spring, 2020 Fall, and 2021 Spring semesters each saw another milestone reached as all 15 programs achieved a 3.0-or-higher team GPA in each. The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours in 2017 - being recognized as one of two runners-up for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.
