Lombardi, Quaglia named CDSWOY Grand Sports Women of the Year
SCHENECTADY, NY — Michelina Lombardi, a senior from Averill Park High School, and Colleen Quaglia, a senior from The College of Saint Rose, received Grand honors at the Capital District Sports Women of the Year Awards Event held at the GE Theatre at Proctors on Monday evening, August 8, 2022.
Lombardi was named the Grand Scholastic Woman of the Year and Quaglia was named the Grand Collegiate Woman of the Year. The event also honored 11 other female student-athletes from the region, who made up the 2022 Class of the Capital District Sports Women of the Year. CDSWOY honors excellence in academics, athletics and community service.
The virtual guest speaker was snowboard cross star Lindsey Jacobellis, an Olympic Gold medalist, six-time world champion and 10 time X Games gold medalist. Entertainment was provided by members of the Empire State Youth Orchestra.
Academically, Michelina Lombardi ranked eighth in the Averill Park Class of 2022 (which includes 225 students). She recorded a 4.0 GPA and earned High Honor Roll recognition in all four years. She is a National Honor Society Member, Presidential Award Recipient, and received Academic Achievement Awards in Algebra, English, Spanish, Chemistry, Physics, and Human Brain. She was also a member of the Journalism Club, International Club, and Student Government. Michelina served as Class President all four years of high school and was a member of the New Visions Scientific Research and World Health Program her senior year. She also served on the Student-Athlete Advisory Council for two years and was the President in 2021-22. Michelina was a Suburban Council Girls Basketball Scholar-Athlete Award Recipient as well as a LeMoyne College Heights Award Recipient (through Averill Park High School, which featured a $60,000 scholarship).
Michelina excelled in three sports. On the basketball court she was a four-year varsity starter and helped lead Averill Park to three Section 2 Class A Championships and the New York State Class A Championship in 2021-22. She was a Suburban Council Girls Basketball Scholar-Athlete Award Recipient. This past season, Michelina was named a News Channel 13 All-Star, an Albany Times Union Second Team All-Star, and a Daily Gazette All-Area Third Team All-Star. She was also named a Suburban Council Second Team All-Star and earned a Spectrum News Scholar Athlete of the Week Award this past season. In soccer, Michelina started for three and a half seasons. She was Averill Park’s girls soccer MVP for the second straight year in 2021. All-star honors included New York State Class A 3rd Team All-State, Section 2 Class A Goalkeeper of the Year, Suburban Council First Team All-Star, and Times Union Girls Soccer 1st Team All-Star. In the spring competing in outdoor track and field, Michelina completed her second season in 2022. She is ranked second all time in the shot put, in the top five all time at Averill Park in the 800 meters, 6th all-time in the high jump, and ranks in the top ten all time for the 400 meters.
Michelina’s community service includes volunteering with Young’s Pharmacy to conduct COVID-19 vaccine clinics at Algonquin Middle School, the Sand Lake Fire Department, and senior living centers. She also enjoys volunteering at her parish, St. Jude the Apostle. Michelina volunteers with Faith Formation and brings Thanksgiving food baskets to the needy and hungry at St. Joseph’s House. She provides assistance at both the St. Jude’s Fall Festival and Fair Trade Festival. Lastly, she also is a volunteer Coach for the St. Jude’s CYO Basketball Team, and volunteers at the Averill Park Capital District Youth League clinics.
Academically, Colleen Quaglia is a three-time CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) First Team Academic All-American. She recorded a 4.00 GPA both as an undergraduate and graduate student in Accounting and received the 2022 Northeast 10 Conference Female Scholar Athlete of the Year award. Colleen is a two-time CSCAA (College Swimming Coaches Association of America) Scholar All-American. The NE10 also awarded her the 2021-22 Sports Excellence Award as the women’s swimming and diving top scholar-athlete. She was named the 2022 Saint Rose Athletics Department Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Colleen is a member of Delta Mu Delta National Honor Society and appeared on both the Saint Rose Dean’s List and NE 10 Academic Honor Roll in each of her semesters. She has also twice earned the NE10 Elite 24 Award for having the highest GPA among all student-athletes at the conference championships.
Colleen is a three-time All-American. She won the 500-yard freestyle, the 400 individual medley, and the 200 butterfly, while meeting NCAA provisional qualifying standards in each event at the 2022 NE10 Championships. Colleen holds eight individual Saint Rose school records and is part of three record holding relay teams. She was named the NE10 Women’s Swimmer of the Week six times this past season. Colleen recorded the fastest NE10 times in the 200 and 500 freestyles, 50 backstroke, 200 fly and the 400 individual medley in 2021-22.
Colleen’s community service featured her work with Cleaning for a Cause, raising money and cleaning cancer patients’ homes. She was a member of the Saint Rose Business Professionals & Sales Organization Pasta Drive, helping to acquire more than 5000 pounds of pasta for shelters in the area. With that organization, Colleen raised money for childhood cancer for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. Along with working for Reach Out Saint Rose, which cleaned and helped to close a church camp for the winter, Colleen was a member of the Saint Rose Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and served as the co-chair.
Here are the other members of the CDSWOY Class of 2022 who were honored at the Awards Gala:
- Brigid Duffy, Queensbury High School
- Katie Falotico, University at Albany
- Rebecca Hall, Maple Hill High School
- Grace Heiting, Union College
- Kelsey Meca, Mayfield High School
- Zionna Perez-Tucker, Mohonasen High School
- Carlie Rzeszotarski, Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School
- Heather Schmidt, Niskayuna High School
- Cameryn Shultes, Middleburgh High School
- Ayaka Suesada, Hawthorne Valley Waldorf School
- Sadie Tavares, Schuylerville High School