News

GREENVILLE, Pa. — Thiel College senior Jess Vormelker (Orwell, Ohio|Grand Valley) and Saint Vincent College senior Tom Kromka (Monroeville, Pa.|Gateway) have been named the Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Scholar-Athletes of the Month for December.

Each month, the SAAC’s at PAC member institutions are asked to nominate one male and one female student-athlete for PAC SAAC Scholar-Athlete of the Month consideration based on academic and athletic accomplishments. Nominees must be a varsity team member in their respective sport and in their junior or senior year. Scholar-Athlete of the Month nominees must also have a cumulative grade-point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher and be actively involved within their campus communities.

Kromka, a team captain with Saint Vincent’s basketball program, helped the Bearcats put together a 4-1 mark in January. He averaged 13.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.0 blocked shots per game, respectively, during the five-game stretch. Kromka currently leads the PAC in field goal percentage (59.7 percent), ranks second in rebounding average (8.4 rebounds per game) and blocked shots (30) and third in scoring average (16.8 points per game). He is also tied for the league lead in double-doubles this season with six.  

Along with his brother, Kromka has hosted independent basketball development sessions over the summer for youth players and volunteered with Saint Bernadette Catholic School’s “Youth Dribbler” basketball camps. As a volunteer with Saint Bernadette Parish, he has served as a mass lector and commentator for several years and assisted the church during organized clean-up days. Kromka is also an active volunteer with Habitat for Humanity, participating in service trips to Ohio’s Coshocton and Belmont Counties.

Kromka has earned All-PAC First Team honors twice (2016-17, 2017-18). Following the 2016-17 season, he was honored by D3hoops.com as an All-Great Lakes Third Team selection while also earning a spot on the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III South Second Team. In July 2017 Kromka was recognized by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) as a member of its Honors Court for his academic excellence during the previous season.

An economics major, Kromka carries a 3.6262 cumulative GPA. On campus, he has served the students of Saint Vincent as a residence hall prefect and is a member of the College’s finance and economic clubs. Kromka has been named to Saint Vincent’s Dean’s List four times and earned a spot on the PAC’s Spring 2017 Academic Honor Roll. 

(photo courtesy of Saint Vincent College)