FREDONIA, NY - The State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) membership body has voted on the Dr. Dolores Bogard and the Dr. Sam Molnar awards for the 2010-2011 year. These awards are presented annually to a junior or senior athlete with the best combination of academic and athletic ability. Michelle Milkovich (Vestal, NY/Vestal) from Geneseo and Fredonia’s Nick Guarino (Bergen, NY/Byron-Bergen) were selected for their outstanding accomplishments in field hockey and cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field in addition to the classroom.  

 

Milkovich graduated from at SUNY Geneseo in 2011 with a 3.59 grade point average with a major in Business Administration. Academically she was named to the Dean’s List seven times as well as the SUNYAC All Academic team and Commissioner’s List. She is a member of Geneseo’s Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society, the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Academic Squad and a recipient of the New York State Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence. Milkovich has served as a religious education volunteer for sixth graders, worked as a statistician for the men’s ice hockey program and monitored the special talent study hours within the department.

 

She is the most decorated and accomplished student-athlete to come through the Geneseo field hockey program. She is a four-time All-Region and All-SUNYAC selection earning conference Rookie of the Year (2007) and Player of the Year (2010). In 2010 she became the programs first-ever NFHCA All-American earning second team honors. Milkovich holds the school record for career points, career assists, single season points and single season assists. She led Geneseo to a program best 18-2 record in 2010 and first-ever SUNYAC Championship. The Knights earned the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament and a national ranking of #17.

 

Milkovich is the seventh Geneseo female athlete to receive the Dr. Dolores Bogard award, and fourth in the last five years. Dr. Dolores Bogard was an administrator and coach at SUNY Cortland for over twenty years.

 

Guarino, a runner on the Blue Devils cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field teams, graduated in May 2011 with a 3.44 gpa as a Computer Information Systems major with a concentration in systems management. He was named to the SUNYAC All-Academic team four times and the Commissioner’s List three times. Outside the classroom, he is a two-time All-SUNYAC selection in cross country as he led Fredonia to third place finish at the 2009 and 2010 championships.

 

He repeated as the national champion for indoor track and field in the mile run in 2010-2011. During the indoor season he set the conference record in the mile when he won the ECAC championship in 4:04.68. Guarino also set the conference and the meet record in the 800 meters.

 

Guarino continued his All-American performance in the outdoor season where he became a two time National Champion in 2011. In a span of 90 minutes, he defended his 1,500 meter title and then captured the men's 800 meters. The two wins gave Guarino five national titles -- in five attempts -- over the past two years. In addition he etched his name into the SUNYAC record book setting the conference and meet record for both the 1500 and 800 meter.

 

It is the ninth time a Fredonia male athlete has received the Dr. Sam Molnar award and first time that an individual has ever repeated as a back-to-back recipient. The award is named after the late Dr. Sam Molnar, who was the Director of Athletics at SUNY Potsdam for over thirty years in addition to coaching a variety of sports.