Every season tells a story, and in 2024-2025, Saint Joseph’s University’s athletics wrote an unforgettable one. From statement wins to career milestones, the Hawks made their mark. Relive the top moments from a season to remember, including our look back at a championship year for field hockey! For full coverage, head to sjuhawks.com.

From Hawk Hill to the League: Junior Rasheer Fleming Drafted 31st

Junior Rasheer Fleming made history for the Hawks this summer, being selected 31st overall in the 2025 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves, cementing his place as the 34th Saint Joseph’s player ever to hear their name called. His draft rights were traded to the Phoenix Suns.

The 2024-2025 season was Fleming’s most dominant yet. He earned First Team honors in both the Atlantic 10 and Philly Big 5 and posted a field goal percentage of .531 (ranking 60th nationally). He also notched career highs of 26 points twice, in back‑to‑back games, and was among NCAA leaders in defensive rebounding and double‑doubles. Across three seasons at SJU, Fleming appeared in 101 games and finished with over 1,000 points, more than 700 rebounds and 135 blocks, while shooting over .500 from the field and nearly .350 from three‑point range.

Hawks Make History at National Cheerleading Championship

The Saint Joseph’s cheerleading squad had a historic showing this April at the National Cheerleaders Association Collegiate Cheerleading Championship in Daytona Beach, Florida, marking it one of the most memorable achievements in program history. For the first time ever, the Hawks brought home two trophies: a third-place finish in the Division I All‑Girl Intermediate division (93.0025), guided by junior captains McKenzie Harris, BS ’26, Carlina Hershock, BA ’26, and Helen Monek, BS ’26; and a silver medal in the Division I Spirit Rally division, with sophomore captains Allie Harrer, BS ’27, and Braycee Henley, BA ’27, leading a near‑perfect routine (zero deductions, score of 90.0625).

Hawk to Cub: Colton Book Selected in 9th Round of MLB Draft

One of the standout moments for Saint Joseph’s athletics this year came on July 14, when redshirt junior Colton Book was selected in the ninth round of the 2025 Major League Baseball Draft by the Chicago Cubs. Book’s draft selection capped off a season in which he rewrote Hawks’ history: He became the first pitcher in program history to strike out 100 batters in a season (finishing with 122), fanned 13+ in four games and ranked among the national leaders in WHIP and strikeouts-per-nine innings.

Book’s draft also speaks to the elevated trajectory of St. Joe’s baseball program under coach Fritz Hamburg, marking him as the 14th Hawk selected during Hamburg’s tenure and the 34th in overall program history.

A Historic First Swing: Women’s Golf Debuts at Saint Joseph’s

In its inaugural 2024-2025 season, Saint Joseph’s Women’s Golf charted new ground, laying the foundation for what promises to be a succeessful program. Led by first-year head coach Theresa Luu, BS ’22, the Hawks made their Division I debut at the Bucknell Invitational and gradually found their footing across the fall and spring. 

As the spring season unfolded, the Hawks earned a spot in the Atlantic-10 Championship, their very first conference showing. While the team finished sixth overall, individual performances stood out: Hanna Mitchell, BS ‘28, led SJU with a three‑round 267; Ava Tornello, BS ‘28, and Allie Gesztesi, BS ‘26, also posted strong showings; and Olivia Cooper, BS ‘27, made a final‑day climb in the standings. On the academic front, Gesztesi was honored on the A‑10 Women’s Golf All‑Academic Team, underscoring Saint Joseph’s dual commitment to excellence on the course and in the classroom.

Students in Bill Nicoletti’s business management classes got the chance to put their entrepreneurial skills to the test in the University’s first-ever “Hawk Tank” competition this past fall.

Just like the aspiring business owners on the hit show “Shark Tank” speaking in front of potential investors, Saint Joseph’s University students presented their ideas to a panel of Haub School of Business faculty and staff.

The winner, Ava Culver, BS ’25, received a $1,000 scholarship for her pitch for Fantasma Mexicano, which she describes as “a Mexican-inspired speakeasy and fast-casual kitchen.” 

“I went for a fast-casual dining experience paired with a bar because both have higher profit margins than industry averages due to low operating costs, the long shelf life of liquor and high markups,” Culver explains. “I also chose Mexican-style cuisine because it’s one of my favorites and Mexican fare only makes up around 4% of all Philly dining cuisines.”

Nicoletti and the other judges noted Culver’s professionalism and attention to detail. 

“From a creativity point of view, which is definitely part of entrepreneurship, she had that base covered, and her business plan just blew us away,” says Nicoletti, an adjunct professor. 

Culver felt prepared for the challenge from her time in business classes at SJU, including her capstone, Business Strategy with Tim Swift, PhD, professor of management. 

“That class helped me the most because our course-long case study taught me the buzzwords and research best practices I needed to make a compelling pitch in front of a panel of experts,” she explains. 

The judges, including Joseph DiAngelo Jr., BS ’70, EdD, dean of the Haub School of Business, were so impressed with several of the presentations that they reached out to a donor to double the scholarship money available. An additional $1,000 was split amongst other leading presenters. Runner up Claudia Perez, BS ’26, pitched a concept to help promote mental health, and teammates Bobby Kuzy, BS ’26, and Brayan Vergara Reyes, BS ’26, outlined a plan for a company that plants a tree with the purchase of every t-shirt. 

“All of the presenters were formidable and easily could have won,” Nicoletti says.

The idea for the event was born out of an in-class viewing of an episode of “Shark Tank.” After seeing the interest of the students in both of his classes — Introduction to Entrepreneurship and Social Enterprise — Nicoletti suggested organizing a competition of their own. 

While class activities can teach the principles and pillars of entrepreneurship, Nicoletti hoped this event would give students a glimpse into the real world of business, from pitching an idea to dealing with scrutiny while real money is on the line. 

“The students had to convince us that the concept was real and worth doing — that it was sustainable to keep the business going over time,” Nicoletti says. “There was a practical component and a financial component.”

With the event’s success, Nicoletti plans to make it a yearly occurrence with the support of business school faculty and donors.

From TikTok to the Hershey Company, Johnson & Johnson to the Montgomery County Detectives Bureau, Saint Joseph's University students are putting their classroom skills to the test while honing their interests and resumes.

Policy in Action

Aidan Murray, BA ’26, a double major in public policy and economics, is spending 12 weeks in Washington, D.C., as a policy intern with The Council of State Governments. In this role, he contributes to budget analysis and policy research, helping to inform state legislators on critical topics ranging from housing to healthcare. The analytical and research skills he’s developed at St. Joe’s have proven essential in navigating this fast-paced, multidisciplinary environment just five minutes from the United States Capitol.

1. My “I nailed it” moment: Coming to a meeting prepared with an economic analysis and policy recommendations to contribute to the conversation. Part of growing as a professional is anticipating the needs of your colleagues and the mission of your organization – I felt like I was able to add value and productively support others in that moment.
2. It’s 10 a.m. on a workday, what are you up to? Likely in collaboration with my co-intern, crafting a comprehensive report analyzing how federal policy will ripple through the 56 states and territories.
3. Any interesting collaborations? I ran into U.S. Senator Susan Collins one day, and just 24 hours later, I was analyzing the House budget proposal that her committee published. It was a fun, distinctly Washington, D.C., moment!
4. Go-to snack or drink that gets you through the day: BBQ chips and an iced-tea!

Read Murray's full interview.

Jam-Packed Experience

Food marketing major Jacob MacPherson, BS ‘26, spent 12 weeks of his summer at The J.M. Smucker Company. While Smucker may be more well known for their sweeter, human-focused products, MacPherson had the unique opportunity to work on projects for the company’s pet brands during his marketing innovation internship. The food marketing co-op student's hands-on work with the marketing and research-development teams included the opportunity to present his summer anchor project to the entire company in the Smucker auditorium. 

1. My “I nailed it” moment: When I presented my summer anchor project to not only my department but also the whole Smucker company in the company's auditorium. My manager was there, along with higher-level executives, including the CEO, Mark Smucker. I presented for 20 minutes and then did a Q&A, talking about some of the ideas I proposed to help the company in the future.
2. Cool project: My project over the summer was analyzing trends for the Pup-Peroni brand and giving recommendations for the brand to improve on pure play ecommerce (Amazon and Chewy.com).
3. Favorite part of your role: Being able to experience brand and marketing innovation meetings, working on a long-term project that the department will use in the future, and meeting new professionals in the industry I have a passion for.
4. Go-to snack or drink that gets you through the day: Smucker is known for Uncrustables, so the go-to snack that got me through the day was the new raspberry flavor. And, I always enjoy an iced coffee from Dunkin’ (French vanilla)! 

Read MacPherson's full interview.

Scrolls and Goals

What’s the next hot trend? There’s a good chance food marketing major and co-op student Eshika Attri, BS ’26, has the answer — at least when it comes to e-commerce. Over her 12 weeks at TikTok headquarters in Seattle, she worked as a category-management campaign intern for TikTok Shop, focusing on the execution of various e-commerce campaigns to deliver a better experience for the app’s billions of users.

1. My “I nailed it” moment: When one of the sellers I worked with went viral overnight. That was a total “whoa” moment and also a realization that the TikTok Shop has so much potential in e-commerce. I feel like traditionally, people think of TikTok and might not think it’s legitimate, but in reality, we do a lot of the same things as Amazon. There’s just more of that social content aspect of it, and it’s exciting to see consumers picking up on that.
2. The Day-to-Day: Every single day, there's a new problem that needs to be solved. There’s a new seller who needs support or a new content creator who’s looking for a certain shop that we can connect them with. Even just given the state of TikTok and what the future of the app is in the U.S., things are constantly changing.
3. Tips for the next intern: Be creative. There isn’t a playbook to success. And have fun with it. TikTok is a fun platform, and not only do we leverage trends, we create trends. Predicting what consumers want will be incredibly important on your path to success at the company.
4. Go-to snack or drink that gets you through the day: Seattle is big on matcha, so that’s my go-to drink. And on Fridays we have “tea time” where we have boba tea delivered to the office. I get the taro boba. 
    

Read Attri's full interview.

Want to meet more Hawks On the Job? Head over to our series landing page to meet the students making an impact on their industries.

First-generation college student DeAnna Capaldi, BS ’27, remembers how overwhelmed she felt applying to colleges. She spent hours reviewing articles and TikToks, attending virtual information sessions and campus visits, and doing as much research as she could to make sure she was prepared for her next four years.

When it came down to making a decision about where to go to school, it was the support she received from Saint Joseph’s University that sealed the deal. 

“I wanted to go somewhere I felt supported, and the resources St. Joe’s provided really validated my decision,” says the now-president of SJU’s chapter of Tri-Alpha, the first-generation college student honor society.

There are hundreds of first-generation students at Saint Joseph’s like Capaldi. This summer, in recognition of the University’s commitment to advancing the success and experiences of first-generation college students, the University was named a member of the FirstGen Forward Network.

The nonprofit works to accelerate the success of first-generation college students in their education, careers and lives. Saint Joseph’s is one of 60 new members to join the network of now 489 member colleges and universities nationwide, representing 49 states and the District of Columbia.

”Our membership not only affirms our existing efforts to support first-generation students, but it also reinforces our commitment to expanding our resources in the years ahead," says Elizabeth Lee, PhD, associate professor and assistant dean for internships and experiential learning.

Network membership helps institutions scale holistic first-generation student success, transforming the student experience, strengthening academic and co-curricular outcomes, and building inclusive institutional structures. Members engage in monthly workshops, peer-learning opportunities, and professional development sessions while contributing to a nationwide knowledge-sharing community.

“This recognition is both an honor and a call to action,” says Kevin Kruger, PhD, interim president and CEO of FirstGen Forward. “SJU joins a growing movement of institutions and professionals who are committed to advancing access, sharing best practices and driving systemic change to ensure first-generation students succeed.”

Learn more about how the University supports first-generation college students.

Students enrolled in Saint Joseph’s University’s Philadelphia College of Pharmacy programs can now gain real-world pharmacy experience right on campus. This past fall, the University opened the Ivira Health Community Pharmacy Learning Center through an agreement with Ivira Health, a community-focused healthcare company founded by alumnus Jay Patel, PharmD ’13.

Under the guidance of expert practitioners, the learning center will operate as a working telehealth pharmacy for current Ivira Health clients and as a vital learning resource for pharmacy students of all years.

The Ivira Health Community Pharmacy Learning Center, located in the Integrated Professional Education Complex (IPEX) in University City, features state-of-the-art resources like PioneerRx University, a leading retail pharmacy computer simulation.

Students are also able to interface with real patients via telehealth services, helping to manage medication therapy and chronic diseases, and offering patients education and counseling services as needed. The experience not only helps students put classroom concepts into action, but it also allows them to practice skills like remote prescription verification, virtual patient consultations and telepharmacy etiquette — increasingly necessary skills as the demand for telehealth services continues to rise.

“The telepharmacy provides our students with invaluable hands-on experience in this emerging field,” says Edward Foote, BS ’87, PharmD ’91, dean of Saint Joseph’s Philadelphia College of Pharmacy. “By integrating real-world telepharmacy operations into our curriculum, we are ensuring that our graduates are at the forefront of healthcare innovation and prepared to meet the growing demand for remote pharmacy services.”

Patel, Ivira Health’s CEO and a Philadelphia College of Pharmacy alumnus, says the partnership with Saint Joseph’s is a dream come true.

“This partnership honors my roots but also propels us forward in shaping the next generation of pharmacists who will be well-versed in both traditional and digital healthcare solutions,” he says. “It's a perfect blend of heritage and progress, and I couldn't be more excited about the possibilities this opens up for students, faculty and patients alike.”