CORTLAND, N.Y. - The State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) is proud to announce its 2019 Spring Scholar Athletes of the Year. To be eligible for the award student-athletes must have a 3.30 grade-point average (GPA), display academic and athletic excellence, be a starter or significant reserve player and be at least a sophomore.
Name: Sean McAneny
School: Geneseo
Year: Jr.
Sport: Men's Outdoor Track & Field
Major: English
Overall GPA: 3.94
McAneny was the 2019 SUNYAC outdoor track and field champion in the 1,500 meter and finished second in the 5,000 meter. McAneny went on to place 13th in the 1,500 meter at the NCAA outdoor championships. In addition, he was a 2019 Google Cloud/CoSIDA Academic All-District selection. McAneny was also named the SUNYAC Men's Cross Country and Men's Indoor Track & Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year during the 2018-19 academic year.
Name: Elise Ramirez
School: Geneseo
Year: Sr.
Sport: Women's Outdoor Track & Field
Major: Biology
Overall GPA: 3.70
Ramirez closed her Geneseo career with a runner-up finish in the 5,000 meter (17:07.34) at the NCAA Division III outdoor championships for her third All-America citation of the academic year. She also owned the nation's sixth-fastest 1,500 meter time and was the 2019 SUNYAC outdoor track and field 5,000 meter champion. Ramirez was voted the Atlantic Region and SUNYAC Outdoor Track & Field Runner of the Year. She was also a 2019 Google Cloud/CoSIDA Academic All-District selection.
Name: Ryan Enos
School: Oswego
Year: So.
Sport: Baseball
Major: Wellness Management
Overall GPA: 4.00
The 2019 All-Conference first team selection was also a 2019 ABCA/Rawlings and D3baseball.com All-New York second team honoree. Enos was also named the 2019 SUNYAC All-Tournament Most Valuable Player. This season he was ranked in the SUNYAC's top five for batting average (.356), runs (47), hits (58), doubles (14), home runs (5), slugging percentage (.546) and stolen bases (13). Enos had the most hits of any player (26) in conference play this season. He also went 3-for-6 with four RBI, two runs scored, a double and a homer in the title game of the SUNYAC championship against top-seeded Cortland, leading the Lakers to a third-straight conference championship.
Name: Jennifer Groat
School: Plattsburgh
Year: Sr.
Sport: Softball
Major: Childhood Education (Mathematics)
Overall GPA: 3.93
Groat was named to the 2019 Google Cloud Academic All-America third team and Google Cloud Academic All-District III first team. She was also honored on the SUNYAC first team. Groat finished the 2019 season ranked among the SUNYAC leaders in doubles (tied for third, 14), runs (tied for fifth, 32), batting average (sixth, .404), on-base percentage (seventh, .463), slugging percentage (ninth, .587) and hits (tied for 11th, 42). She also earned the Plattsburgh Richard D. Semmler Award, which is given to the male and female seniors with the highest cumulative GPA through the fall semester of their senior year. Groat holds the career program record in batting average (.420), slugging percentage (.620), hits (209), runs (144), total bases (309) and doubles (51).
Name: Nick Della Ratta
School: Plattsburgh
Year: Sr.
Sport: Men's Lacrosse
Major: Finance
Overall GPA: 3.90
Della Ratta was named to the USILA/Warrior and New Balance Division III Team of the Week this season (April 2). He finished the year ranked among the SUNYAC leaders in ground balls (tied for seventh) and caused turnovers (tied for 11th, 18). Della Ratta had more ground balls than any other short-stick defensive midfielder in the conference and the second-most among any non-face-off specialist. He recorded four assists for the season, including two against Potsdam on April 24. In addition, he earned the Richard D. Semmler Award, which is given to the male and female seniors with the highest cumulative GPA at Plattsburgh through the fall semester of their senior year.
Name: Caroline McGuigan
School: Geneseo
Year: Jr.
Sport: Women's Lacrosse
Major: Biology
Overall GPA: 3.74
McGuigan was name to the IWLCA second team All-Empire Region and first team All-SUNYAC defender this season. She anchored the top scoring defense in the SUNYAC that only allowed 8.90 goals per game and finished first with 14.16 caused turnovers per game. McGuigan also finished the season third in the conference with 1.88 caused turnovers per game and fourth with 2.63 ground balls per game. She picked up a career-high nine ground balls and tied a season-high with four caused turnovers in Geneseo's 13-11 victory at Brockport (April 17) and also logged six ground balls and four caused turnovers in the 13-7 win at Potsdam (April 27). The Knights finished the season with a 14-5 record, including a 9-0 SUNYAC mark for the first time in program history, before making their first SUNYAC championship game appearance since 2014.