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. With the guidelines below, Kacie Simzer has won the SUNY Scholar Athlete of The Year Award for Field Hockey in the 2022 season.
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.
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).
To see full release of SUNY Scholar Athlete Awards click HERE.
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