Rylee Dunbar

Rylee Dunbar made the most of her time at Corinth High School.

On top of being a four-sport athlete, between varsity cross country, soccer, basketball and track and field, Dunbar managed to be ranked eighth in her class academically. She’s one of 10 Capital District Sports Women of the Year scholastic honorees for 2023.

“I think it is commendable that CDSWOY recognizes the hard work and dedication of female athletes in the capital District,” said Dungar. “I am extremely grateful and excited to be selected as one of the top female athletes of the year for 2023.”
“Rylee is an exemplary individual in every aspect,” Corinth athletic director Hilary Haskell wrote in her recommendation letter. “She is responsible, dedicated and an asset to any program she participates in.”

In addition to many academic and athletic accolades, the recent Corinth graduate has been extremely involved in her community.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, she formed the “Kindness Krew” as part of an honor society project, which delivered essential items to veterans who were quarantined. She also was known for delivering ice cream, flowers and cookies to veterans and the elderly, as well as helping coach and officiate youth soccer games.

“Rylee is very responsive to the needs of others and is definitely a positive role model for the young adolescents she works with,” Haskell wrote. “As a four-sport athlete she is self-motivated, responds well to criticism and strives continuously to better herself.

“She is very kind, patient, and treats others with respect,” Corinth girls’ basketball coach Kelly Hoertkorn wrote in her letter. “Rylee is the definition of a coachable athlete. She is the type of player who you need to tell something to once, and you watch her perform exactly what you have asked of her, and at a high level because she wants to learn and improve.”
To put it simply, Dunbar has been pretty busy the past several years.

“The importance of community service is something that has always been instilled in me by my family,” Riley said. “Corinth is a small but very tight knit community where everyone supports each other. I feel it’s important to give back, especially to the veterans and senior members of my community.”

“Rylee is not afraid to challenge herself and set high goals that are not always the easy path to success,” Hoertkron said. “Her hard work and intelligence set her apart from others, but she never settles for anything but her best.”
Dunbar plans on continuing her academic and athletic career at SUNY Adirondack.

“Rylee has worked diligently towards her goal of attending [SUNY Adirondack] in the fall and continuing her athletic career playing soccer,” Haskell wrote.

Kevin Bruno, who coached Dunbar on the Corinth girls’ soccer team, also wrote a recommendation letter on her behalf to the CDSWOY organization.

“This year she was also a major contributor to the basketball team even though she hadn’t played before,” Bruno wrote. “Rylee Dunbar loves to hear criticism in order to do better for herself and responds well to it. She is reliable, a leader by example, and one of the hardest workers I have had the privilege to work with.”

“I appreciate all that I have learned from both my teachers and coaches throughout my years at Corinth Central School,” said Dunbar. “Their dedication and encouragement were a big part of my success in both the classroom and athletics.”