Great Danes Earn Scholarly Recognition
ALBANY, N.Y. (July 11, 2023) — Students from 10 different UAlbany athletic programs earned statewide, regional and national academic accolades for their contributions on and off the field this past spring. Among the honorees were three members of the golf team named All-American scholars by the Women's Golf Coaches' Association, three Great Danes named SUNY Scholar-Athletes of the Year and nine students selected as America East Presidential Scholar-Athletes.
SUNY Scholar-Athletes of the Year
Honored for combining academic achievement with success in the arena of athletic competition during the inaugural year of the SUNY Scholar-Athlete Awards, Graydon Hogg (men's lacrosse), Katie Pascale (women's lacrosse), and Lucia Esteban (women's golf) were named Division I SUNY Scholar-Athletes of the Year.
Hogg, an attack/midfielder from Oshawa, Ontario, who just completed his senior season, was the top returning scorer in the America East from the 2022 season. Despite missing five games due to injury, he finished fifth on the team with 23 total points. Scoring a third-best 19 goals, he added four assists and 15 ground balls. Hogg is a psychology major with a 3.45 overall GPA.
Pascale, as a junior midfielder from Baldwinsville, N.Y., set several UAlbany women's lacrosse record books in 2023. Leading the team with 92 points and 43 assists, she set the program marks in assists and total points, the single-season record for draw controls, and the single-game record for total points. Pascale, who was also named America East Midfielder of the Year, is an accounting major with a minor in business for a 3.77 overall GPA.
Esteban, as a first-year golfer from Pozeulo de Alarcon, Spain, was the Great Danes' second MAAC Rookie of the Year in a row. Finishing eighth at the MAAC Championship, she had the lowest stroke count among rookies at the event. An All-MAAC selection in her first year of collegiate competition, Esteban holds a 3.94 overall GPA with a business administration major and a minor in history.
Golfers Named Academic All-Americans
Claudia Blöchliger, Malene Clausen and Esteban also earned All-American Scholar honors from the Women's Golf Coaches' Association. Blöchliger, a rising junior from Zofingen, Switzerland, maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA through her second year while studying business administration. Clausen, a rising senior, earned a 3.84 GPA in her first year in the communication program.
Nine Tabbed as America East Presidential Scholar-Athletes
UAlbany student athletes accounted for nine of the 137 honorees named to the America East Spring Presidential honor roll for the spring.
To qualify as a Presidential Scholar-Athlete, an individual must be graduating and have accumulated a career undergraduate GPA of 3.75 or higher.
Two members of the UAlbany softball team, Caitlyn Mitros and Caroline Srokowski, were honored, as were Dean Athanailos from men's track & field/cross country, Tiffany Bernot of women's soccer, Tess Fitzmaurice of women's track & field/cross country, (Grace Heeps of the 2023 America East champion women's basketball team, Giuliano Lucca of men's soccer, Amanda McElheran of women's lacrosse and Josh Salandy of the baseball team.