SYRACUSE, N.Y. - There are 20 fall student-athletes, including five SUNYAC athletes, being honored with the 2023 SUNY Scholar Athlete Awards for combining academic achievement with success in the arena of athletic competition.
The Fall SUNY Scholar Athlete of the Year Awards recognize 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.
SUNYAC Scholar Athletes of the Year Hunter Brignall, Hannah Ackerman, Andrew Taylor, Rachel Eiser and Mikenzie Martens have also been named the SUNY Scholar Athlete of the Year in their respective sports.
Men's Cross Country – Hunter Brignall, Cortland
Brignall was the SUNYAC Men's Cross Country Scholar Athlete of the Year, Runner of the Year and was All-Niagara Region after placing fourth at regionals. He was the top SUNYAC finisher at the NCAA Division III championships with a 108th-place showing. Brignall was also named to the first team All-SUNYAC after a fourth place finish at the conference meet and was inducted into the SUNYAC Cross Country Hall of Fame. He won the title out of 278 runners at Rowan University Border Battle and finished second at both Roberts Wesleyan and Houghton invitationals. Brignall holds a 3.74 overall GPA as a physical education major at Cortland.
Field Hockey – Hannah Ackerman, New Paltz
Ackerman had a 3.5 GPA in the fall semester with a cumulative average of 3.66 as a psychobiology major and was just recently named the SUNYAC Field Hockey Scholar Athlete of the Year. The senior was named as a NFHCA First-Team All-America selection - the only first team selection in the SUNYAC this year - and was selected as a NFHCA senior game recipient. Additionally, she earned NFHCA and All-SUNYAC first team honors and was a SUNYAC All-Tournament team pick. Ackerman started all 19 games and scored seven goals and added 13 assists for 27 points on the year, while leading her team in minutes played with 1,204 in 2023.
Men's Soccer – Andrew Taylor, Brockport
Taylor was named second team All-Region after bringing home the Fred Halloway Co-Defensive Player of the Award following an excellent season between the pipes for the Golden Eagles. He was also recently recognized as the SUNYAC Men's Soccer Scholar Athlete of the Year and was a first team All-SUNYAC selection in 2023. Taylor started 16 games for Brockport, recording shutouts in six games and posting an 8-3-5 record as a starter. Taylor totaled 70 saves on the season, good for second-best in the conference to go with a 0.88 goals-against average. Andrew has maintained a 3.89 GPA as a business administration major at Brockport.
Women's Soccer – Rachel Eiser, New Paltz
Eisert had a perfect 4.0 this semester with a cumulative average of 3.87 as a communication disorders major. The junior was the SUNYAC Offensive Player of the Year, named First-Team All-SUNYAC, named to the College Sports Communicator's Academic All-District team, was the team's first United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-American and was recently named the SUNYAC Women's Soccer Scholar Athlete of the Year. She broke records for single-single goals (12), single-season points (31) and became the team's all-time leader in both those categories in just her third season, while sitting second in assists and was two assists shy of breaking the single-season assist record as well.
Women's Volleyball – Mikenzie Martens, Cortland
Martens was an AVCA honorable mention All-America libero in 2023. She was also named to the first team AVCA All-Region 3. Martens was voted the SUNYAC Defensive Player of the Year and was recognized on the All-Conference first-team. She was named to the SUNYAC All-Tournament Team and the NCAA Regional All-Tournament Team. Martens was honored with the SUNYAC Elite 20 Award for the second year in a row. She was also honored as a national third team Division III Women's Volleyball Academic All-American for the 2023 season by the College Sports Communicators (CSC) and a CSC District 3 Academic All-District member. During the 2023 season, Martens totaled 502 digs (5.1 per set), .970 serve reception percentage and 35 aces in 98 sets (27 matches). She helped the Red Dragons win their third straight SUNYAC title and advance to the second round of NCAA Division III tournament to tie for 17th place nationally. Martens has a 3.99 overall GPA as a physical education major at Cortland.
