MICHAEL PULLANO OF CENTENARY COLLEGE, a senior on the men’s soccer and men's swimming & diving team, has been selected the SCAC Character & Community Male Student-Athlete-of-the-Week for the week beginning December 14, 2015.
The SCAC honors the efforts of student-athletes who excel in the field of athletics, and also serve their campus and community.
Pullano, a political science major with a minor in Spanish at Centenary, helps with numerous community service projects both through Centenary and on his own. Through the institution, he has assisted with the northwest Louisiana-based Soccer Shots. Soccer Shots puts on camps and clinics to introduce young kids to the sport of soccer.
Individually, he spends time every summer working with Camp John Marc. While the camp is for kids with a wide range of chronic illnesses and/or physical disabilities, Michael works specifically with kids with spina bifida.
Finally, Pullano helps as a unified partner with the Special Olympics, helping conduct swim meets.
On the pitch, Pullano recently finished his most successful season of his collegiate career for the Gents. He scored the game-winning goal in a thrilling 2-1, season-opening victory against East Texas Baptist, a foreshadowing of things to come. Pullano finished the season with four goals, three of which were game-winners, and nine points – leading the team in all three categories.
“Michael is a true leader on and off the soccer field” said head soccer coach Emmett Rutkowski. “He is a true ambassador for our men’s soccer program, and he does an amazing job of instilling positive energy to anyone around him.”
So far for the Gents swim team, he has seen limited action as he makes the transition from the pitch to the pool.
“Michael came to Centenary as a soccer player, but he has proved to be quite a swimmer as well,” head swimming coach Butch Jordan explained. “He is a natural talent in the breaststroke and he brings a training enthusiasm to practice every day.”