Feb. 17, 2006

PITTSBURGH--Pitt men's soccer senior Thomas DeCato was honored with the 2005-06 Big East/Aeropostale Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year award. The winners were announced on Wednesday by the Big East Conference Academic Affairs Committee.

The Big East's scholarship program provides 31 postgraduate grants to student-athletes pursuing graduate or professional studies. Student-athletes are nominated and selected based on a combination of academic excellence and outstanding athletic performance. The Big East/Aeropostale Scholar-Athlete award is given to student-athletes who have demonstrated success on the field and in the classroom. DeCato (LaGrangeville, N.Y./Arlington H.S.), a neuroscience major, will receive $2,000 towards graduate studies.

"Thomas is the epitome of what a student-athlete should be," Pitt men's soccer head coach Joe Luxbacher said. "Tom is a fine man and is an excellent choice for the award. He is very accountable and very reliable."

The senior midfielder started all 16 games during the season for the Panthers. He registered two goals, one of them a game-winning goal against DePaul. He ranked second on the team with three assists and second on the team in shots (19). DeCato finished his career with 31 starts in 40 career games, four goals and five assists.

In 2004, DeCato started eight times in 13 games for the Panthers, seven of them including Big East competition. He provided solid defense as well as recorded four shots on the season. During his high school career, he led Arlington High School to the 1999 league, section and state championships. He was named a two-time All-League selection and led Arlington to a four year record of 69-9-4.