St. Joseph’s College athletics shaped Lisa LoSchiavo and Joseph Benkert’s college years. And after graduation, they quickly returned to their alma mater — this time, as assistant coaches — to pay it forward and help a new cohort of student-athletes have a memorable St. Joseph’s experience.
“It brings me so much joy to be able to return as (an assistant women’s soccer) coach,” said LoSchiavo, a former SJC Brooklyn women’s soccer and basketball player who graduated in 2020. “I have a lot of knowledge on the game and feel that I can benefit the team being a player — taking mistakes that I have seen and done in the past and feed that information to them to build them as a player.”
For Benkert, who played baseball at SJC Long Island and graduated in 2011, his return to St. Joseph’s began with a job in the campus’ admissions office. He began his role as an baseball assistant coach in 2014.
“It’s special to do something your entire life, and then be able to share your experiences and knowledge with others,” said Benkert, assistant director of admissions at SJC Long Island.
A Love for the Game
Both alumni-turned assistant coaches devoted their lives to their sport before playing for St. Joseph’s College.
LoSchiavo — who majored in marketing, with a business administration minor and a sports management concentration — grew up kicking around a ball on the soccer field. She started to play when she was 7 and has loved the game ever since.
Sports always held a special place in LoSchiavo’s heart. In addition to working at SJC Brooklyn as an assistant coach, she is a member of the New York Islanders community relations team. She is a liaison between the Islanders and the community, participates in planning and hosting events throughout the area as a base for the team’s marketing campaigns. She takes part in fan engagement and data collection at events to further the team’s fanbase.
LoSchiavo said she is proud of the career she is making for herself in sports.
“Women in sports is something that you do not see as often,” she said. “I want to prove that no matter what the job is that needs to be done, it can be done by men and women.”
Benkert, who earned a degree in business administration with an economics minor, started playing Little League baseball when he was about 7 and eventually played varsity for Lindenhurst High School. After high school, he was drawn to St. Joseph’s College — where he could nurture his passions for both business and baseball. At St. Joseph’s, he was a member of the business finance club and sat on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
“St. Joe’s groomed me and matured me into a student,” Benkert said. “I learned how to study, pay attention, take notes, communicate and present. The College really prepared me for my career … It’s a solid place. You can do a lot here.”
