Riley Gibbons

Germantown salutatorian Riley Gibbons has an eye for soccer and basketball, but also an ear for music.

The three-year National Honor Society member joined the varsity basketball team as an eighth grader before becoming a starter her freshman year. That same school year, Gibbons was part of the inaugural Germantown girls’ varsity soccer team.

She’s also one of 10 high school honorees for the second-annual Capital District Sports Women of the Year awards.

“Sports have been such a defining part of my high school career,” Gibbons said. “My best memories from high school with some of my closest friends started in sports. To be recognized for something that means so much to me means a lot.”

Gibbons was a captain and MVP all four years on the girls’ soccer program, known as a star talent within her own squad and the Central Hudson Valley League.

“She was often marked with one or two players,” Germantown girls’ soccer coach Michael Pudney said. “Despite this, she has led the league in assists and was one of the top goal scorers each year in our league. She was named a first-team all-star in the CHVL all four years on varsity.”

During the winter she took her talents indoors, leading the school’s girls’ basketball team in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots as a sophomore and junior and being named a state all-star.

“Riley is the complete package, a player with skills necessary for all positions on the court,” Germantown girls’ basketball coach Christina Pudney said of Gibbons, who wasn’t able to play a senior basketball season because of restrictions related to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Gibbons, who will attend SUNY New Paltz, is versatile on the field, in the classroom and in the music room. Gibbons earned high honor roll status the past four years and served as class president all four years at Germantown. She is a talented musician, playing drums, singing and songwriting.

She has played snare drum in the New York State School Music Association, and was part of the all-county chorus, all-county band, jazz band, a cappella and the NYS Band Directors Association Honor Band.

“It became a part of my life. It never felt like an extra responsibility,” Gibbons said. “It’s something that I love doing.”

She also participated in the drama club.

“Riley remains humble in nature,” Christina Pudney said. “She has an extreme social conscience while being soft-spoken, polite and kind.”