ALBANY, N.Y. – More than 20 student-athletes, including seven from the SUNYAC, were honored with the SUNY Scholar Athlete of the Year Awards for combining academic achievement with success in the arena of athletic competition during the 2022-23 winter season.
The Winter SUNY Scholar Athlete Awards recognized 22 student-athletes from SUNY colleges and universities sponsoring intercollegiate athletics at the four- and two-year levels who were nominated and voted upon by representatives of their respective institutions. Nominating information includes cumulative grade point average, current and career statistics, and athletic and academic honors.
Men's Basketball – Cole Kattan, SUNY Geneseo
Kattan was named the SUNYAC Men's Basketball Scholar Athlete of the Year and was a third-team All-SUNYAC selection. He helped lead the Knights to a playoff berth with 14.5 points per game and 6.1 rebounds per game overall. Kattan earned the SUNYAC Men's Basketball Athlete of the Week honor during the 2022-23 season after dropping 30 points and 14 rebounds in a win over Buffalo State. Kattan posted a 3.78 GPA in the fall of 2022 and holds a 3.69 overall GPA with a major in communications.
Co-Women's Basketball – Lauren Romito, SUNY Geneseo
Romito was named the SUNYAC Women's Basketball Scholar Athlete of the Year and she was also a first-team All-SUNYAC selection this season. She averaged a double-double at 14 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. In conference play she average 15.1 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. Romito shot 58 percent from the field including 71 percent from the charity stripe. Romito also tallied 47 blocks in her senior season. In the classroom she has a 3.73 cumulative GPA and 3.61 GPA as a double major in communications and math.
Men's Ice Hockey – Emil Norrman, Buffalo State University
Norrman was the winner of the SUNYAC Scholar Athlete of the Year award after his final season for the Bengals. He was named to the second team All-SUNYAC after finishing the year with a 14-9 record and one shutout in goal. He earned the SUNYAC Goaltender of the Week award three times this season. Norrman also led the SUNYAC with 824 saves while finishing third in the conference with a .929 save percentage. His 14 victories this year tied him for the third-most wins in a single season by a Bengal goaltender. In the classroom, the business major has a 3.90 cumulative GPA and has earned Dean's List honors in every semester at Buffalo State.
Men's Indoor Track and Field – Jean-Andre Sassine, Cortland
Sassine was an NCAA indoor qualifier in the triple jump and finished 12th place nationally. He was All-Niagara Region and finished second at the indoor All-Atlantic Region Track and Field Conference (AARTFC) and the SUNYAC championship meets. Sassine was a 2021-22 All-Niagara Region and All-AARTFC in the triple jump during the outdoor season. He holds a 3.90 cumulative GPA as a communication studies major.
Women's Indoor Track and Field – Kathleen McCarey, Geneseo
McCarey posted a 4.0 fall semester GPA, with a cumulative GPA of 3.87 as a double major in communications and English. She took third place at the conference championship meet in the 3000-meter at 9:55.29, and second in the 5000-meter. McCarey then placed 17th at the NCAA Championship in the 5000-meter. She was recently named the SUNYAC Women's Indoor Track and Field Co-Scholar Athlete of the Year.
Men's Swimming and Diving – Sam Matthews, Geneseo
Matthews posted a 3.8 GPA for the fall 2022 semester with a double major in business administration and communication. Matthews took first place in six events at the SUNYAC championship meet and was named to the first team All-Conference. The 400-yard medley relay and the 200-freestyle relay that Mathews was a part of broke the meet and conference records. He was also part of the 800-yard freestyle relay team that broke the conference record. Matthews went on to earn All-American status twice at the 2023 NCAA championships in the 200 and 400-yard freestyle relays. He was recently named the SUNYAC Men's Swimming and Diving Scholar Athlete of the Year.
Women's Swimming and Diving – Alexis Falvo, Geneseo
Falvo was named the 2023 SUNYAC Women's Swimming and Diving Scholar Athlete of the Year. Falvo posted a 4.0 GPA in the fall semester with a major in socio-medical sciences, maintaining her cumulative 4.0 GPA throughout her career at Geneseo. She was named the Elite 20 award winner at the championship meet and earned five first-place finishes at SUNYAC's. In the 100-yard butterfly she set a new meet record with a time of 55.83. She also nabbed the top spot in the 200 butterfly at 2:06.01 and was a part of three winning relay teams. She earned second-team All-American status at the NCAA Division III championship meet by placing 14th in the 200-yard medley relay.
