With a list of achievements almost as long as his 6'6" frame, Sea Lonergan '97 is The Dartmouth's Athlete of the Year.
Since his arrival here from Lake Highlands High School in Dallas, Texas, Lonergan has dominated the hardwood in the Ivy League.
He was named the Ivy League Rookie of the Year in 1994 and has only improved between then and now.
For the past two years he has been a first team All-Ivy pick, and justifiably so, as he has also been the conference's leading scorer both years.
In his three years here at Dartmouth, Lonergan has begun to build room for himself in the Big Green's record books as well.
Twice named the team's MVP, he became the 19th Dartmouth player to score 1,000 points early this past season. As only the fourth junior to ever reach that plateau, he will enter his senior season with plenty of time to move up on the all-time career scoring list. Currently he is ninth with 1,208.
Clearly, Lonergan accounts for much of the Big Green's offense. After the first six games of the 1995-96 season, he was fourth in the nation in scoring. By the end of the season, he was averaging 17 points per game, and had led the squad in scoring 14 times.
He ended the year having scored a team-high 439 points. Statistics show that he was responsible for over a quarter of the Big Green's offense.
Looking at his box scores, the casual observer might mistakenly be led to believe that all Lonergan does is shoot.
Nothing could be farther from the truth. Lonergan also led his team in minutes played and offensive rebounds.
He ranked second in assists and steals. According to teammates, he is also very skilled defensively and regarded as having an incredible work-ethic.
"He comes every day ready to work," Coach Dave Faucher said. "He hasn't done what he has done on ability, he has done it through a relentless approach."
On the court, as such a balanced ballplayer, the mere mention of Lonergan's name is likely to strike fear into the hearts of even the most hard to impress opponents. On campus, fellow students are most impressed by Lonergan's academic success and 3.84 GPA.
Early in March, the chemistry major was named to this year's GTE Academic All-America first team. He was the only Ivy League roundballer awarded this recognition, and the first junior to be so honored.
Tonight, at the Athletic Department's "Celebration of Athletic Excellence" Lonergan will stand as a nominee for three awards. He is eligible to receive the Class of 1948 Scholar Athlete Award, the Timothy Wright Ellis Award and the Alfred E. Watson Trophy.
