General | 9/10/2025 5:30:00 PM

PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher University athletics department had one of the largest Chi Alpha Sigma classes in the country during the 2024-25 academic year, the National College Athlete Honor Society Announced on Wednesday. 

Fisher inducted 166 student-athletes into its inaugural Chi Alpha Sigma class as part of NCAA Division III Week this past spring. Only Ohio State (218), Lander University (186), the University of Minnesota (169) and Gustavus Adolphus College (167) had more honorees. 

A record 17,179 student-athletes were inducted into chapters nationwide during the 2024-25 academic year. That total far surpassed the previous Chi Alpha Sigma record of 11,653, set during the 2023-24 academic year, and marked a 155% increase in annual honorees since the 2018-19 campaign.

St. John Fisher accounted for more than 35% of the Empire 8 Conference's 457 inductees, the fourth most by any conference. The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference led the way with 1,055, while the Big Ten Conference had the second most at 1,020, and the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin had the third most at 473. 

St. John Fisher was accepted into the National College Athlete Honor Society as the New York Beta Eta Chapter of Chi Alpha Sigma (XAΣ) last March. A certified member of the Association of College Honor Societies, Chi Alpha Sigma annually recognizes student-athletes from accredited four-year institutions who excel athletically and academically. 

Chi Alpha Sigma was founded in 1996 by then-DePauw University head football coach Nick Mourouzis. His goal was to provide outstanding student-athletes with an opportunity to become connected within a fraternal association that aligns their educational and athletic successes for a lifetime.

To be inducted into Chi Alpha Sigma, a student-athlete must achieve junior or senior academic standing at their institution, complete four full-time semesters or six quarters of college coursework after high school, as determined by the certifying institution, and must have achieved a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale.