First wave of inaugural SUNY Scholar Athlete Awards announced
ALBANY, N.Y. – More than 20 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.
FMCC Volleyball standout, Madelyn Avery was selected as an award recipient. She led her team to an eighth place finish in the NJCAA Championship Tournament and a Region 3 District A Title. Avery finished the season with 316 digs, 238 kills, 58 assists, 86 service aces and 16 blocks. On top of the first team All-American honors, she earned 2022 first team Mountain Valley All-Conference, conference Player of the Year, first team All-Region, Region 3 Player of the Year and NJCAA championship All-Tournament Team. Avery graduated in December with a General Studies degree and finished with a 3.67 overall GPA.
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 NJCAA Category features the 29 two-year community colleges spread out across the state of New York: Adirondack, Broome, Cayuga, Clinton, Columbia Greene, Corning, Dutchess, Erie, FIT, Finger Lakes, Fulton Montgomery, Genesee, Herkimer, Hudson Valley, Jamestown, Jefferson, Mohawk Valley, Monroe, Nassau, Niagara, North Country, Onondaga, Orange, Rockland, Schenectady, Suffolk, Sullivan, Tompkins and Ulster.
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.
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.
The following NJCAA student-athletes have been selected the Fall SUNY Scholar Athlete Award winners:
NJCAA
Women's Volleyball – Madelyn Avery, Fulton-Montgomery Community College
https://www.fmraidersathletics.com/sports/wvball/2022-23/bios/avery_madelyn_4d1j?view=bio
Avery was selected as a 2022 first-team NJCAA Division III Volleyball All-American. The Lady Raiders finished eighth at the NJCAA championship tournament and won a Region 3 District A Title. Avery finished the season with 316 digs, 238 kills, 58 assists, 86 service aces and 16 blocks. On top of the first team All-American honors, she earned 2022 first team Mountain Valley All-Conference, conference Player of the Year, first team All-Region, Region 3 Player of the Year and NJCAA championship All-Tournament Team. Avery holds a 3.62 overall GPA in general studies.
Men's Cross Country - Eric Zumpe, Hudson Valley Community College
https://www.hvccathletics.com/sports/mxc/2022-23/bios/zumpe_eric_xqir?view=news
Zumpe has a 3.93 overall GPA majoring in construction technology. In 2022 he received All-Conference and All-Region accolades. Zumpe's top times this season include a 28:08 finish at the James Earley Invitational (8K), a second place finish at the conference meet with a time of 28:59 (8K), fifth place at Regionals finishing the 8K course in 28:56 and a time of 28:36 at the NJCAA Nationals (27th place).
Women's Cross Country – Andrea Distefano, Fashion Institute of Technology
https://fittigers.com/sports/cross-country/roster/andrea-distefano/1195
Distefano holds a cumulative GPA of 3.65. She was named to the All-Region Academic team this season. Distefano led her team in 2022 with a 37th place finish at nationals.
Men's Soccer – Kyle Middleton, Herkimer College
https://www.herkimergenerals.com/sports/msoc/2022-23/bios/middleton_kyle_9wxw
Middleton maintains a 4.0 GPA majoring in sports and recreation management. He was named to the 2022 All-Mountain Valley Conference first team and All-Region team after leading his team to the Region III championship and NJCAA semifinal game. Middleton was also honored by the United Soccer Coaches Junior College Division III All-East Region Team and Scholar All-American Team.
Women's Soccer – Kellie Brewer, Genesee Community College
https://geneseeathletics.com/sports/wsoc/2022-23/bios/brewer_kellie_srso
Brewer holds a 3.93 overall GPA. She was named to the first team, All-Conference, All-Region and All-American in 2022. Brewer was also named to the All-Region and NJCAA National All-Tournament teams. She is the Genesee Community College LEADS representative and she volunteers at the Genesee Soccer and Goalie Camps.
Women's Tennis – Devin Rotunno, Fashion Institute of Technology
https://fittigers.com/sports/womens-tennis/roster/devin-rotunno/1209
Rotunno maintains a 3.56 overall GPA. She helped lead her team to National Co-Runner Up honors in 2022. Rotunno was recognized on the All-Region Academic team and was named to the 4th singles All-American second team.
At-Large Selection – Kristian Hernandez, Nassau Community College, Football
https://nassaulions.com/sports/football/roster/khristan-hernandez/3262
Hernandez was a 2022 first team NJCAA All-American after finishing the season ranked fourth in the country in interceptions (5). He has a 3.64 overall GPA.
