ALBANY, NY – Ava Poupard, a senior at the University at Albany, has been named as one of the four collegiate award recipients for 2025 by the Capital District Sports Women of the Year organization.

Poupard, who competes in lacrosse, will be recognized at the Capital District Sports Women of the Year Awards Gala on Monday, August 4 at 7:00 p.m. at the GE Theatre at Proctors in Schenectady. Tickets are available online at Proctors.org.

The Capital District Sports Women of the Year organization (CDSWOY) honors the best and brightest female student athletes from high schools and colleges in the Capital District of New York State. The student-athletes will be recognized for their achievements in academics, athletics, and community service. More information is provided at the website: cdswoy.com.

Academically, Ava has previously been named to the IWLCA Academic Honor Roll. She is a four-time Dean’s List honoree and was named to the America East Commissioner’s Honor Roll twice as well as twice being named to the America East Academic Honor Roll.

Athletically, Ava was named to the America East All-Tournament Team and was a Second Team America East All-Conference selection. She also made the All-Rookie team in her first season at UAlbany. Ava recorded five multi-goal and  eight multi-point games in the 2025 season. She tallied 21 multi-goal and 28 multi-point games throughout her career. Ava finished her career with 76 goals and 22 assists for 98 points in 72 games. She was a member of the back-to-back America East Championship teams in her junior and senior seasons.

In the community, Ava co-founded the Hidden Opponent during her freshman season. This is a student-athlete mental health awareness chapter at UAlbany. She was President of that organization for two years. Ava has tabled countless events to help spread awareness for student-athlete mental health. The UAlbany chapter of the Hidden Opponent is one of the most active chapters in the country despite its founding only four years ago. Ava is also an active member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee with its multiple fundraising and community activities.

Ava becomes the fourth University at Albany student-athlete selected by CDSWOY, joining Katie Pascale (2024), Amanda Chambers (2023) and Katie Falotico (2022).

A total of 10 high school and four college female student-athletes will be honored at the August 4 event. The final recipients will be announced on July 14 and July 15.