Three Scholar-Athletes Earn Statewide Chancellor's Award

Scholar Athlete Award Winners

SUNY Old Westbury rising seniors Edania Martinez, Gabriella Valdes, and Tommy Ziegen were acknowledged with a 2016-17 State University of New York Chancellor’s Scholar Athlete Award, which recognizes outstanding academic excellence and athletic achievement. They were among 77 recipients from across the state that received the award.

"It takes a tremendous amount of dedication and hard work to achieve such a high level of academic and athletic success,” said SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher. “Congratulations to all of the students receiving this year’s SUNY scholar athlete award, as well as the faculty, coaches, and staff across SUNY who support and inspire them to be the best."

Soccer midfielder Edania Martinez from Brentwood, N.Y., is a Childhood/Special Education major with a G.P.A. of 3.50, who has also been on the lacrosse and volleyball teams.  She was one of 42 ethnic-minority students selected for the 2017 NCAA Division III Student Immersion Program to attend the 2017 NCAA Convention in Nashville, Tennessee.  Martinez recently was selected for the 2017 Vice President for Student Affairs Award for Academic Excellence and Leadership, and earned second team All-Skyline Conference honors in soccer.

Softball center fielder Gabriella Valdes from Flushing, N.Y., is also a Childhood/Special Education major with a G.P.A. of 3.76. Valdes was named to the 2016-17 College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District Baseball Team, the 2016 and 2015 All-Skyline Conference Softball Second-Team and was on the All-Skyline Conference Softball Sportsmanship Team in 2015. She earned a spot on the Skyline Conference Academic Honor Roll three times and on the Skyline Conference Weekly Honor Roll twice. 

Baseball shortstop Tommy Ziegen, a native of Glen Cove, N.Y., is a Business Administration major with a G.P.A. of 3.27. Ziegen has been selected to 2016 ABCA/Rawlings All-New York Region Second-Team and 2015 ABCA/Rawlings All-New York Region Third-Team, the 2016 D3baseball.com All-New York Region Second-Team, the 2016 and 2015 All-Skyline Conference First-Team and 2016 and 2015 aXcess Baseball All-Long Island Team.  In addition he earned a National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Honorable Mention Hitter.

In order to be considered for this award, student athletes are nominated by their campus athletic director. Nominees’ academic credentials and athletic accomplishments are then reviewed by a panel of athletic directors from across the SUNY system and members of the SUNY provost’s office.

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