As an undergraduate at Villanova University in the Philadelphia suburbs, Richie Kratz played on the school’s varsity lacrosse team, one of the top 20 teams in the country. He was captain of the team his senior year, and he earned Academic All-America honors that same season. He belonged to the Penn Rho chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon, and he headed the chapter’s recruitment efforts his junior year. He graduated in 2004 with a BS in business administration and joined HSBC Securities, Inc., working as an operations specialist in the firm’s New York City offices. Richie Kratz became a member of the Villanova Financial Club, an alumni organization that mentors recent graduates who take Wall Street jobs.

1. Academic and Athletic
Excellence at Villanova
University
By Richie Kratz

2. Introduction
 As an undergraduate at Villanova University in
the Philadelphia suburbs, Richie Kratz played on
the school’s varsity lacrosse team, one of the top
20 teams in the country. He was captain of the
team his senior year, and he earned Academic
All-America honors that same season. He
belonged to the Penn Rho chapter of Sigma Phi
Epsilon, and he headed the chapter’s recruitment
efforts his junior year. He graduated in 2004 with
a BS in business administration and joined HSBC
Securities, Inc., working as an operations
specialist in the firm’s New York City offices.
Richie Kratz became a member of the Villanova
Financial Club, an alumni organization that
mentors recent graduates who take Wall Street
jobs.

3. About Villanova University
 The oldest Catholic university in
Pennsylvania, Villanova University was
founded in 1842 by the Order of Saint
Augustine and named for Saint Thomas of
Villanova. Its five schools–liberal arts and
sciences, business, engineering, nursing, and
law–serve more than 10,000 undergraduate
and graduate students. Ranked the No. 1
regional university in the North by US News &
World Report, it reports that within six months
of graduation, 97% of the class of 2012 was
employed or in graduate school.

4. Conclusion
 In addition to its superior academic
reputation, Villanova has a robust
athletic tradition, with more than 500
student athletes representing the school
in 24 varsity sports. Villanova has won
19 NCAA team national championships
and 82 conference championships, and
nearly 60 Villanova students have
represented the USA in every Summer
Olympics since 1948. In addition, the
mean grade point average of Villanova’s
student athletes consistently has
equaled or exceeded 3.0 for nearly 10
years.