Jersey City – On Tuesday, November 17, 2009, one student will be eligible to win free tuition for the 2010 spring semester when the Saint Peter’s men’s basketball team takes on Monmouth University at 6:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) in a game televised live on ESPN. Taking place on the College’s Jersey City campus at the Yanitelli Recreational Life Center (RLC), the early morning face-off for the Saint Peter’s Peacocks and Monmouth Hawks is part of ESPN’s second annual College Hoops Tip-off Marathon, which airs 24 hour of live college basketball.
Prior to the pre-game pep rally at 5:00 a.m., the Peacock Nation student club will host the Saint Peter’s student community in the RLC tennis bubble for an all-night marathon of contests, games and food beginning the night before the game at 10:00 p.m. Any student in attendance between 4:00 and 5:00 a.m. will each be entered into a raffle for an opportunity to take a half-court shot during the second half of the game to win free tuition for the spring semester. If the student does not make the shot, he or she will win the prize of a $500 gift card to Barnes & Noble.
“Even if the student misses the shot, the gift card will be enough money to cover the cost of books for this student next semester,” said Dan Drutz, sports information officer for Saint Peter’s College.
The Saint Peter’s College Pep Band will also make its debut at the pep rally for the historic game, and lead fans and students from the pep rally to the gym with the cheerleaders before tip-off at 6:00 a.m. A 10-student group comprised of woodwind, horn and percussion players led by Saint Peter’s Class of 2006 alumnus Kenny Medina, the Pep Band will perform throughout the game.
“The inception of the Pep Band at Saint Peter’s College will strengthen the bond between athletics and music,” noted Performing arts Coordinator Kevin Cummines.
Also taking place in conjunction with the game is a Thanksgiving food drive to benefit the Hillside Food Bank sponsored by the Office of Campus Ministry and Peacock Nation. All guests are encouraged to bring one or more items of food to the RLC the morning of the game, where the Saint Peter’s community expects to exceed 640 pounds of food.
Visit the Saint Peter’s College Athletics Web site or call 201-761-7327 for more information.
Saint Peter’s College is the Jesuit College of New Jersey. Founded in 1872, Saint Peter’s has an enrollment of approximately 3,000 students in undergraduate and graduate programs. The main campus is located in Jersey City with a branch campus in Englewood Cliffs, NJ, with courses at various corporate sites at the Jersey City waterfront and in South Amboy, NJ.