ATLANTA – Three of Oglethorpe University’s basketball players were
not just stars on the court, they were also top academic
performers. Russ Churchwell from Loganville, Julie Colantoni
from Jonesboro and Katie Michalczyk from Lexington, Ky., were
all accepted into medical school while playing for the Stormy
Petrels.
Churchwell became the top male scorer and rebounder in the
Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference, giving Oglethorpe both
the men’s and women’s top scorers. Chruchwell was also named to
the 2005 ESPN The Magazine’s Academic All-America Team and
Honorable Mention in d3hoops.com’s All American Team. Colantoni
and Michalczyk both passed 500 career rebounds in their final
season for the Stormy Petrels.
All three graduated May 7, 2005. Churchwell graduated with a
Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Bachelor of Art in Studio
Art and plans to attend the Medical College of Georgia in the
fall. Colantoni, a bio-psychology major and co-captain of the
women’s team, has not made her final decision for the fall, but
has been accepted to Mercer and the Medical College of Georgia. Michalczyk, a biology major and
co-captain of the women’s team, will attend the University of
Louisville in the fall.
Michalczyk credits her parents and her professors, who
“genuinely care about what you want to do and will work with you
to accomplish your goals.” To aspiring doctors, she cautions,
“Be prepared to sacrifice some of your social life to study and
get good grades, but in the end it is worth it.”
