First wave of inaugural SUNY Scholar Athlete Awards Honors Five SUNYAC Student-Athletes
ALBANY, N.Y. – More than 20 student-athletes, including five SUNYAC student-athletes, are being honored for combining academic achievement with success in the arena of athletic competition during the inaugural selection of the SUNY Scholar Athlete Awards.
The honors were announced on Tuesday, Jan. 31, by Chancellor John B. King, Jr., from the SUNY System in Albany, N.Y.
The Fall SUNY Scholar Athlete Awards recognized 21 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.
More than 14,000 student-athletes compete at SUNY institutions representing 53 different colleges and universities at the NCAA Division I, NCAA Division III/USCAA and NJCAA levels and are eligible for the awards.
The 19 institutions that make up the NCAA Division III/USCAA Category and include Alfred State, Brockport, Buffalo State, Canton, Cobleskill, Cortland, Delhi, Farmingdale, Fredonia, Geneseo, Maritime, Morrisville, New Paltz, Old Westbury, Oneonta, Oswego, Plattsburgh, Potsdam and SUNY Poly.
ESF, the lone four-year SUNY institution sponsoring intercollegiate athletics that is a member of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) instead of the NCAA, participates in the program with the 19 NCAA Division III members for a total of 20 colleges and universities.
The SUNY Scholar Athlete Awards recognized outstanding academic and athletic success in 29 different sports and are presented three times a year to coincide with the specific sports contested in the fall, winter and spring seasons. The Scholar Athletes of the Year in each sport will then be nominated for an overall Scholar Athlete of the Year for men's sports and women's sports in each category that will be announced in mid-July.
The Winter Scholar Athletes of the Year will be announced in April, while the Spring Scholar Athletes of the Year will be presented in June. Student-athletes will receive photo plaques commemorating their accomplishments.
Because sport sponsorship varies among institutions, a minimum sponsorship formula has been developed for award selections. At least three (3) institutions must sponsor the sport in the Division I category, while at least five (5) institutions must sponsor the sport in the SUNY Division III/USCAA and SUNY NJCAA categories.
For sports that do not meet the minimum threshold to be a viable award, an At-Large Category has been developed for each level and each season.
Women's Cross Country – Kathleen McCarey, Geneseo
McCarey is a communication and English double major maintaining a 3.85 cumulative GPA. She was recently named the 2022 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Women's Cross Country Scholar Athlete of the Year for the second-straight year. McCarey was a 2022 Women's Cross Country All-American (10th place at NCAA championships). She was voted the 2022 SUNYAC Women's Cross Country Runner of the Year and was the 2022 Niagara Region champion, finishing the race in 21:56.5. She was also named the 2022-23 Geneseo Presidential Scholar.
Field Hockey – Kacie Simzer, Oswego
Simzer, a wellness management major with a cumulative GPA of 3.9, was recently named the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Field Hockey Scholar Athlete of the Year. She earned a spot on the NFHCA All-Region team by leading Oswego in goals (17) and points (36). Simzer tied the all-time Oswego points and goals record in a single game twice in her senior season. She led the SUNYAC in goals scored (17) as well as point (36) and shots on goal (49). Simzer was second in shots on goal (68) and was third in the conference in game-winning goals (3).
Men's Soccer – Tristan Battistoni, Oneonta
Battistoni was the team captain in 2022 where he was named to the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division III Men's All-Region first team, the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) All-Conference second team and the SUNYAC All-tournament team. He started all 21 games in 2022 and was part of a backline that limited opponents to 0.86 goals against average with eight shutouts. Battistoni and his team won its 12th overall SUNYAC title and reached the third round of the NCAA tournament. The Red Dragons finished the 2022 season 15-3-3 overall. Battistoni was also recently honored as the SUNYAC Men's Soccer Scholar Athlete of the Year, he was honored on the SUNYAC Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll each season, he is a Chi Alpha Sigma National College Athlete Honor Society member and an Omicron Delta Kappa member.
Women's Soccer – Angel Bennett, Geneseo
Bennett was named the 2022 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Women's Soccer Scholar Athlete of the Year after recording a 3.86 GPA as a Biology major during her senior season with the Knights. She was named to the All-SUNYAC first team after posting nine solo shutouts in addition to two combined shutouts for Geneseo this season. Bennett tallied 53 saves this season and a save percentage of .828. She also made a pair of saves during penalty kicks to help Geneseo secure the championship victory over Cortland to win its 10th overall SUNYAC title.
Women's Volleyball – Emily Haber, Geneseo
Haber posted a 3.84 GPA with a major in communication during her senior year. After earning State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Defensive Player of the Year, first team All-SUNYAC and first team All-Region, she was named an honorable Mention All-American by the AVCA. Haber led the defensive effort for the Knights all season long posting a SUNYAC high 476 digs at a clip of 5.41 per set. She played all 88 sets for Geneseo and eclipsed the 1,000 career dig mark halfway through the season. She will finish her career seventh all-time in career digs and holds the program record for digs in a three-set match with 40 against Elizabethtown in 2021. In addition, Haber tallied 76 assists and a team-high 32 aces.
