SCHENECTADY, NY — Ariana Dingley ^[9], a senior from Lansingburgh High School, and Katie Pascale ^[10], a senior from the University at Albany, 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 12, 2024.

Ariana was named the Grand Scholastic Woman of the Year and Katie 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 2024 Class of the Capital District Sports Women of the Year. CDSWOY honors excellence in academics, athletics and community service.

The virtual guest speaker was Lisa Bluder, the recently retired women’s basketball coach at the University of Iowa. Entertainment was provided by Angelina Valente.

CDSWOY now features a total of 64 student-athletes who have been awarded since the program’s inception in 2020.

Academically, Ariana was the Valedictorian of the Class of 2024 at Lansingburgh with a 99+ average. She earned High Honor Roll recognition in each marking period in grades seven through 12 and is a member of the National Honor Society. Ariana received the Rensselaer Medal for outstanding academic achievement in mathematics and science. She also was awarded the Certificate of Merit, given by the new York State Capital District Society of Engineers. Ariana performed at the All-County Band Music Festival.

Athletically, Ariana was a Colonial Council Co-Defensive Girls Soccer Player of the Year and Team Most Valuable Player during her career. She was a two-time First Team Section 2 Class B Girls Soccer All-Star. She was a two-time Colonial Council First Team All-Star in bowling, and served as a captain in all three sports, bowling, soccer and softball.

Ariana’s community service includes assisting nursing home residents at Heritage House. She was a volunteer for Lansingburgh Boys & Girls Club and assisted with numerous fund raisers and events and placing flags on headstones for the Lansingburgh Veteran’s club. Ariana was the treasurer of her class in all four years of high school, and her activities included Odyssey of the Mind, SADD Club, and working on school musicals.

Academically, Katie had a 3.64 GPA and graduated with a degree in Accounting and a minor in Business. She was a three-time America East All-Academic Team honoree and was a two-time America East Women’s Lacrosse Spring Scholar-Athlete. She was the SUNY Women’s Lacrosse Scholar-Athlete of the Year. She was selected to the 2023 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team and the IWLCA Academic Honor Roll that season. Katie was a two-time America East Honor Roll honoree and was selected to the America East Commissioner’s Honor Roll.

Athletically, Katie was on the 2024 Tewaaraton Award Watch List and was a 2024 Inside Lacrosse Midseason All-America Honorable Mention and Preseason All-America Honorable Mention honoree. She was a two-time America East Midfielder of the Year (2023 and 2024) and a two-time Inside Lacrosse All-America Honorable Mention selection. Katie was a two-time IWLCA All-Region Second Team selection as well as a 2022 IWLCA All-Region First Team selection. In 2023, she made All-ECAC and was the America East Tournament Most Outstanding Player. A three-time America East All-Conference First Team performer, she made the America East All-Tournament Team twice. During her career she also had received honors as a pre-season offensive player of the year, rookie of the year, six-time player of the week, and five-time rookie of the week. Katie holds UAlbany career records in points, assists, draw controls and single season draw controls and single game points. She holds the America East tournament record for single game points. She suffered a major knee injury that caused her to miss most of the final five games of the 2024 season. Before that injury, she ranked ninth among NCAA Division I players in points per game and was fourth among all active Division I players in career assists and career assists per game. She is the first woman in UAlbany lacrosse history, and third overall including men’s lacrosse, to record 300 points in a career. She is the fifth women’s lacrosse player and seventh overall in America East to record that mark. Katie suffered a major head injury playing basketball in high school that required her to be resuscitated, and the injury nearly ended her athletics career.

Katie’s community service includes assisting in cleaning up Madison Park, youth sessions with CityLax, a Communities Day Clinic, Women’s Sports Day, and Gift of Life. She had worked with the Tunnel of Towers Foundation and volunteers as a youth coach.

Here are the other members of the CDSWOY Class of 2024 who were honored at the Awards Gala:

Kate Ackerman, Maple Hill High School ^[11]
Leonni Griffin, Shaker High School ^[12]
Taylor Holohan, Averill Park High School ^[13]
Carly King, Guilderland High School ^[14]
Amber Kolpakas, Galway High School ^[15]
Cassidy McClement, Waterford-Halfmoon High School ^[16]
Isabella Miller, Fonda-Fultonville High School ^[17]
MacKenna Roberson, Hoosick Falls High School ^[18]
Talia Spenziero, Siena College ^[19]
Amy Stevens, Russell Sage College ^[20]
Kennedy Swedick, The Albany Academies ^[21]