Van Auken, King Named SUNY Scholar Athletes of the Year

January 19, 2024

2023 Fall SUNY Scholar Athlete of the Year Awards Announced

ALBANY, N.Y. – There are 20 fall student-athletes being honored with the SUNY Scholar Athlete Awards for combining academic achievement with success in the arena of athletic competition.

The Fall SUNY Scholar Athlete 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.

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.

Men's Cross Country – Samuel VanAuken, Hudson Valley Community College
https://hvccathletics.com/sports/mxc/2023-24/bios/vanauken_samuel_392d
VanAuken guided the men's program to their first Region 3 title since 2018 and paced the field, finishing third overall with a final time of 28:17. Sam also placed second at the conference championship (8K race) to lead HVCC to the team championship for the third consecutive season. He ended the year with a 23rd place finish at Nationals with a time of 28:37.3 (8K). VanAuken is a business administration major maintaining a 3.57 overall GPA.

At-Large – Sean King, Football, Hudson Valley Community College
https://hvccathletics.com/sports/fball/2023-24/bios/king_sean_nfdv
King was named to the NJCAA All-American second team in 2023. King, the Chatham, New York native, was a force on the defensive line this season as he accumulated 45 tackles, 3.5 sacks and seven tackles for loss this season. King played a big role in the 2023 Region 3 championship game as he accumulated six tackles and added one sack and two tackles for loss as the Vikings narrowly edged Erie 7-6 for their third straight Region 3 title. King is majoring in business administration maintaining a 3.44 overall GPA.

Complete list of Fall SUNY Scholar Athlete Award Winners:

Division I

Men's Cross Country – Matt Gensel, University at Buffalo

https://ubbulls.com/sports/cross-country/roster/matt-gensel/7105

Gensel was a mainstay within Buffalo's top five finishers throughout the 2023 season, placing inside the top five for the Bulls in five of the six races he competed in. Gensel's season best 8k performance came in Lehigh Valley's Paul Short Invitational, placing first for the Buffalo men with a time of 24:59.3. The sophomore was also the top finisher for the Bulls in the final race of the season, completing the 10k NCAA Northeast Championship course in 30:54.6. The highlight of the men's cross country season was winning Bowling Green's Falcon Invitational, where Gensel placed second for Buffalo and eighth across a field of 100 runners with a time of 25:10.9. The sophomore computer science major maintains a 3.96 overall GPA.

Women's Cross Country - Grace Weigele, Stony Brook University
https://stonybrookathletics.com/sports/womens-cross-country/roster/grace-weigele/8727

Weigele was an NCAA Northeast All-Region honoree, an All-CAA runner and earned CAA Runner of the Week distinction during the cross country season. As an individual, Weigele placed first in the Stony Brook Season Opener, second at the CAA Championship and 10th at both the ECAC/IC4A Championship and NCAA Northeast Regional Championship. The health science major holds a 3.54 overall GPA.

Football -Dylan Kelly, University at Albany
https://ualbanysports.com/sports/football/roster/dylan-kelly/9575
Kelly led a UAlbany defense that ranked first in the entire FCS in running defense. He led the FCS in total tackles, compiling 159 on the year - breaking the UAlbany single-season record. He collected the following honors: All-CAA First Team Defense CAA Defensive Player of the Year Buck Buchanan Award Finalist (Top Three) AP FCS First Team All-American Stats Perform FCS All-America First Team FCS Football Central First Team All-American ECAC Defensive Player of the Year Phil Steel FCS Defensive Player of the Year Phil Steele All-American First Team Phil Steele CAA Defensive Player of the Year Phil Steele All-CAA First Team FCS ADA All-America Team. Kelly is a business administration major with a 3.60 overall GPA.

Men's Soccer – Edmond Kaiser, Stony Brook University
https://stonybrookathletics.com/sports/mens-soccer/roster/edmond-kaiser/8570
Kaiser, who returned for his fifth year, led the CAA in saves per game (5.67) and total saves (85) and ranked inside the top-20 in the nation in three different categories. His 5.43 saves per game were fifth-best in the NCAA, while his 85 total saves were seventh-best and his .810 save percentage ranked 12th in all of Division I. Kaiser finished the season with a 5-5-5 record in goal and posted four shutouts. He served as a team captain and was a one-time CAA Defensive Player of the Week award winner in 2023. Kaiser is pursuing his master's in finance and holds a 4.0 GPA.

Women's Soccer – Olivia McKnight, Binghamton
https://bubearcats.com/sports/womens-soccer/roster/olivia-mcknight/15672
McKnight is a repeat selection as a United Soccer Coaches All-Region midfielder. She led the Bearcats to their second straight America East regular season title. McKnight is also a repeat selection as an America East Midfielder of the Year and first team all-conference selection. She tallied a team-highs of four goals, five assists and 13 points and capped her five-year career as a four-time all-conference selection (three times on first team), two-time all-region choice and two-time team captain. McKnight started all 76 collegiate games and tallied 24 goals (T-3rd all-time at Binghamton), 18 assists (4th) and 66 points (3rd). She led the Bearcats to a postseason berth all five seasons, including a pair of championship game appearances. She is an America East All-Academic Team selection and a member of the America East and Binghamton AD Honor Rolls. McKnight posted a 3.66 undergrad GPA in English. She was also a two-time America East All-Academic Team recipient. She is pursuing her social work as a graduate student maintaining a 4.0 GPA.

Women's Volleyball – Tsvetelina Ilieva, Binghamton
https://bubearcats.com/sports/womens-volleyball/roster/tsvetelina-ilieva/15709
Ilieva is a repeat AVCA All-American and America East Player of the Year. She led Binghamton to the America East championship match and led the conference in kills (4.49) and points per set (4.96). Ilieva was ranked 17th in nation in kills per set and 20th in points per set. She was a five-time Conference Player of the Week in 2023. Ilieva registered 10 double-doubles with five performances of 20 or more kills, including a career-high 27 against Delaware State. The outside hitter started in all 26 matches and recorded double-digit kills in all but three contests. She is a member of the America East All-Academic Team and the America East and Binghamton AD Honor Rolls. Ilieva holds a 3.98 GPA as a business administration major.

At-Large – Alison Smisdom, Field Hockey, University at Albany
https://ualbanysports.com/sports/field-hockey/roster/alison-smisdom/9673
Smisdom is a NFHCA First Team All-America (second time) and NFHCA First Team All-Northeast Region (third time) selection. She is the America East (AE) Midfielder of the Year (second time) and was named to the AE First Team All-Conference (third time). Smisdom was named to the AE All-Academic team (second time) and was named to the conference All-Tournament team (third time). She finished the 2023 season fourth in the nation, and first in the conference, in goals per game and points per game and she broke the conference tournament record for goals and points in a single game with five goals (10 points) in the AE semifinal contest. Smisdom has a 3.60 overall GPA majoring in business administration.

Division III

Men's Cross Country – Hunter Brignall, Cortland
https://www.cortlandreddragons.com/sports/cross-country/roster/hunter-brignall/13327
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.

Women's Cross Country – Adelle Leger, SUNY Maritime
https://maritimeathletics.com/sports/womens-cross-country/roster/adelle-leger/11912
Leger led her team to the first-ever Skyline Conference Championship. She was Maritime's top finisher in every race this season and was named First Team All-Skyline after finishing third individually at the conference championships. Leger was selected as the Skyline Runner of the Week on Oct. 3. She also earned a place on the Skyline All-Sportsmanship Team. Leger is a facilities engineering major with a 3.90 overall GPA.

Field Hockey – Hannah Ackerman, New Paltz
https://nphawks.com/sports/field-hockey/roster/hannah-ackerman/17349
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.

Football – Steven Frerichs, SUNY Morrisville
https://morrisvillemustangs.com/sports/football/roster/steven-frerichs/4593
Frerichs is a three-year starter for the Mustangs at quarterback, collecting 3716 yards passing across 37 games played, while adding 1,148 rushing yards. In addition to his success on the field, Frerichs has achieved President's List honors for the Empire 8 multiple times across his career alongside earning induction into the college's national student-athlete honor society, Chi Alpha Sigma. Frerichs is a two-time All-Conference honoree for the Empire 8 and was a semi-finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy from the National Football Foundation. He holds a 3.91 overall GPA as a renewable energy major.

Men's Soccer – Andrew Taylor, Brockport
https://gobrockport.com/sports/mens-soccer/roster/andrew-taylor/14322
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
https://nphawks.com/sports/womens-soccer/roster/rachel-eisert/17284
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
https://www.cortlandreddragons.com/sports/womens-volleyball/roster/mikenzie-martens/13300
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.

NJCAA

Women's Cross Country – Aja Jackson, SUNY Broome Community College
https://broomehornets.com/sports/wxc/2023-24/bios/jackson_aja_hbpz?view=news
In 2023 Jackson finished sixth place overall out of 98 runners at the NJCAA championships with a season-best time of 20:08.60. He was second place overall at the Region 3 championships with a time of 22:04.80 and finished first at the Mid-State Athletic Conference championships with a time of 22:34.90. Jackson is a NJCAA second team All-American, All-Region 3, All-MSAC and the MSAC Women's Cross Country Runner of the Year. His career-best 5K time is 19:43.79. Jackson has a cumulative GPA of 3.76 as a business administration major.

Men's Soccer – Sonny Simpson, Genesee Community College
https://geneseeathletics.com/sports/msoc/2023-24/bios/simpson_sonny_md12
In 2023 Simpson was a NJCAA first team selection, an All American Region 3, a first team All-Region Mid State and recognized on the first team All-Conference. Jackson was an NJCAA Academic All-American and Vice President of the Student Leadership Group. He is a business administration major with a 3.90 overall GPA.

Women's Soccer – Amber Piersma, Mohawk Valley Community College
https://gomvhawks.com/sports/wsoc/2023-24/bios/piersma_amber_eo7r
Piersma was a 2023 NJCAA first team All-American selection and NJCAA Region 3 Player of the Year She was also a NJCAA Region 3 first team All-Region. In 2023 Piersma totaled 20 goals, 7 assists, 47 points. She finished the season fourth in county in goals and third in the county in points. Piersma and her team finished third at nationals. She is a physical education major holding a 3.48 cumulative GPA.

Women's Volleyball – Maggie Goodenough, SUNY Orange
https://www.njcaa.org/sports/wvball/2022-23/div3/players/maggiegoodenoughrfrq?view=profile
Goodenough is a sophomore DS/libero that was named to the Mid-Hudson Conference first team, the MHC all-tournament team, and the NJCAA All-Region XV second team following the 2023 season. She led the Colts in kills, digs, digs per set and total points. In 20 matches, she accumulated 130 kills (1.73 per set), 38 assists, 33 service aces, 278 receptions, 415 digs (ranking 29th in the nation among NJCAA Division III players), 5.53 digs per set (ranking 13th in nation) and 165 points. Maggie is in our nursing program and earned a perfect 4.0 this fall semester and carries a 3.97 GPA over her three semesters at Orange.