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SUNY Recognizes Two Cardinals with Chancellor Scholar-Athlete Awards


Two SUNY Plattsburgh student-athletes were among only 84 throughout the state’s 64 campuses to have received the 2017-2018 SUNY Chancellor’s Scholar-Athlete Award.

Senior soccer midfielder Madeline Saccocio of Schenectady and junior woman’s softball catcher/first baseman Jennifer Groat of Ballston Spa received the awards after having first been nominated by Director of Athletics Mike Howard. Their credentials and athletic achievements were then reviewed by a panel of athletic directors from across SUNY and the SUNY provost’s office.

 "It is my pleasure to congratulate our Scholar-Athlete awardees for their achievement in the classroom, and on the playing field," said SUNY Chancellor Kristina Johnson. "All of those honored are committed to excellence in their athletic pursuits, sportsmanship and personal development. They balance a challenging workload, while demonstrating leadership and service."
 
Madeline Saccocio

Saccocio, the 2017 State University of New York Athletic Conference Women’s Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year, sports a 3.53 gpa as a nutrition major and was a College Sports Information Director’s Academic All-District Women’s Soccer honoree this past year as well.

Her athletic postseason awards included being named the 2017 SUNYAC Women's Soccer Offensive Player of the Year, United Soccer Coaches First-Team All-Region and First-Team All-SUNYAC. Saccocio helped lead the Cardinals reach the SUNYAC tournament championship game this past year, as SUNY Plattsburgh went 13-5-2 overall (6-1-2 SUNYAC).

She started in all 20 games last year, ranking among the SUNYAC leaders in goals (second, with 16), points (second, with 37) and game-winning goals (tied for first, with five). In the program's record books, she finished her career tied for fourth in goals (37) and fifth in points (88).
 
Jennifer Groat

Academically, Groat holds a 3.77 gpa as an early childhood special education major and was named to the Google Cloud Academic All-District Softball Team this season. She recently wrapped up a season in which she earned National Fastpitch Coaches Association First-Team All-Northeast Region laurels and First-Team All-SUNYAC honors for the third time in as many years. She finished the season as the SUNYAC leader in batting average (.472), on-base percentage (.521) and doubles (16), and she also registered 25 RBI, five stolen bases, three triples and two home runs.

Groat went on a 38-game hit streak that spanned the last 11 games of last season and the first 27 contests of 2018, and that tear wound up being the second-longest hit streak in the history of NCAA Division III softball. Her 16 doubles and .472 batting average established single-season program records, and in the program's career record book, she currently holds the record in batting average (.424) while ranking third in hits (167), third in runs scored (112), tied for third in triples (10), fourth in RBI (83) and fourth in doubles (37). 

She twice earned SUNYAC Athlete of the Week honors in 2018, meriting the distinction on April 2 and March 19, and she was named to the SUNYAC All-Tournament Team for the third straight season. SUNY Plattsburgh went 19-19 overall (10-8 SUNYAC) in 2018, qualifying for the SUNYAC Tournament for the third straight year.

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