ALBANY, NY – Zoey Lints, a senior at Schoharie High School, has been named as one of the 10 scholastic award recipients for 2023 by the Capital District Sports Women of the Year organization.

Zoey, who competes in wrestling, will be recognized at the Capital District Sports Women of the Year Awards Gala on Monday, August 7 at 7:00 p.m. at the GE Theatre at Proctors in Schenectady. Ticket information is to be announced.

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, Zoey is a member of the National Honor Society and National Junior Honor Society. She has earned high honor roll recognition and is a NYSPHSAA Scholar-Athlete.

Zoey was ranked #15 in the country in the 138-pound weight class. She is the 2023 NY USA Wrestling Girls Champion in the 152-weight class and was the NY USA Regional Champion at 152 in freestyle and Greco-Roman also this year. Zoey won the NYSPHSAA Girls Championship at 138 and was the 2023 Eastern States Classic Runner-up. She won championships this season at the Niskayuna Girls Invitational and the Shaker’s Queen Bison Girl Invitational. Last year she competed at the USAW Fargo Junior Women’s Freestyle Blood Rounder.

Zoey is a member of the Varsity Club at Schoharie High School. She also has volunteered with Youth as Leaders in both 2022 and 2023 and is a volunteer youth wrestling coach at the Kirby Training Center. She has served as captain of the boys wrestling team the past two seasons.

A total of 10 high school and three college female student-athletes will be honored at the August 7 event. The next recipient will be announced on July 10.

ALBANY, NY – Kayla Grant, a senior at Lake George High School, has been named as one of the 10 scholastic award recipients for 2023 by the Capital District Sports Women of the Year organization.

Kayla, who competes in cross country, Nordic ski and track & field, will be recognized at the Capital District Sports Women of the Year Awards Gala on Monday, August 7 at 7:00 p.m. at the GE Theatre at Proctors in Schenectady. Ticket information is to be announced.

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, Kayla has a GPA of 3.83 at Lake George. She has served as a Class Officer Representative and this past year was the Vice President of her class. She also has been a member of the National Honor Society and Art Honor Society through this year and was the Vice President of the National Honor Society. She has earned High Honor Roll recognition for three years. She has served with the Spanish Club and the Anti-Bullying Committee (where she was recently President. Kayla has played the clarinet in the Lake George High School Band for all four years, and in the jazz band. She is  member of the Fishing Club and Yearbook Committee and performed at the Lake Placid Music Festival and Castleton Music Festival. Last fall she competed at the Lake George Triathlon Festival. Kayla was the Student of the Quarter in Science and Math and won the Health and Physical Education Sportsmanship Award and Mathematics Pythagoras Award during her scholastic career.

Kayla competed in cross country for three seasons and was the captain in her senior year. She was captain for the last two of her four seasons competing for the Nordic ski (also known as cross country ski) team and was on the track & field team for four years. She was the Nordic ski MVP each of the last two seasons.

Kayla has served on the Lake George Youth Commission and received the American Citizenship Award from Lake George High School. This past spring, she received the Thomas Rossiter Sportsmanship Award, which recognizes one male and one female senior athlete for their sportsmanship over their four-year career at Lake George High School.

A total of 10 high school and three college female student-athletes will be honored at the August 7 event. The next recipient will be announced on June 29.

ALBANY, NY – Olivia Lomascolo, a fifth-year senior at Siena College, has been named as one of the three collegiate award recipients for 2023 by the Capital District Sports Women of the Year organization.

Olivia, who competes cross country and track & field, will be recognized at the Capital District Sports Women of the Year Awards Gala on Monday, August 7 at 7:00 p.m. at the GE Theatre at Proctors in Schenectady. Ticket information is to be announced.

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, Olivia was a CSC (College Sports Communicators) Academic All-District selection in 2023, her second straight season with this award. She was also on the MAAC All-Academic Team and was a MAAC Academic Honor Roll member throughout her college career. She was also a Dean’s List member throughout her years at Siena.

Olivia was named the 2022-23 Siena Female Student-Athlete of the Year and is the school record-holder in the women’s cross country 6K, 3,000, 5,000 and 10,000 events. She also is a part of the school record teams in the 4×800 and distance medley relays. Olivia was the 2022 MAAC Women’s Cross Country Individual Champion and Most Outstanding Runner. She was the 2023 MAAC Indoor Track Women’s 3K Champion, and the MAAC Outdoor Track Women’s Champion in the 5K this past spring. She joined her teammates as part of the medley relay team that won the MAAC indoor title. Olivia earned All-East honors at the ECAC Championships and All-East honors at the NCAA Cross Country regionals while achieving the program’s best finishes in both events. She is the first Siena female to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Track East Regionals, where she qualified in the 10K. Olivia was the team captain for the teams last year and this year as well.

Olivia’s community service includes volunteering for the regional food bank and donating products to her family church. She donated gifts to the Siena Giving Tree and organized donated clothes at the Schenectady City Mission.

A total of 10 high school and three college female student-athletes will be honored at the August 7 event. The next recipient will be announced on June 28.

ALBANY, NY – Kara Bacon, a senior at Warrensburg High School, has been named as one of the 10 scholastic award recipients for 2023 by the Capital District Sports Women of the Year organization.

Kara, who competes in basketball, soccer, and softball, will be recognized at the Capital District Sports Women of the Year Awards Gala on Monday, August 7 at 7:00 p.m. at the GE Theatre at Proctors in Schenectady. Ticket information is to be announced.

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, Kara is ranked #3 in her class with a 97.5 average. She has earned high honor roll recognition in all four years at Warrensburg. Kara was a HOBY Leadership Award recipient and also a President’s Award recipient in her junior year. She has received the George Eastman Young Leader Scholarship as well as the Innovation and Creation Scholarship. A member of the Nation Honor Society, Kara was a NYSPHSAA Scholar-Athlete Award winner in all four years. She is a member of the school’s French Club and Varsity Club.

Kara played soccer for five seasons, softball for four seasons and basketball for three seasons. She was a varsity captain for all three sports. She was named a First Team Adirondack League All Star three times in soccer, twice in softball and once in basketball. In soccer, she was a two-time Section 2 All-Star including 2022, the Offensive Player of the Year in her senior season. Her team was a Section 2 semi-finalist. On the court, Kara also was the Offensive Player of the Year this past season, and was a NYSSWA Class C Honorable Mention All Star. Her softball teams this season was a Section 2 Semifinalist, and she was the MVP of the Maple Hill Tournament this spring. Kara has signed a letter of intent to play softball at LeMoyne.

Kara’s community service includes volunteering for the Red Cross Blood Drive and the Honor Society Book Fair. She is a student ambassador for the Wounded Warrior Project and the Community Halloween Trail. She also volunteers as an official for youth basketball, soccer, and softball.

A total of 10 high school and three college female student-athletes will be honored at the August 7 event. The next recipient will be announced on June 26.

ALBANY, NY – Rachael Frazier, a senior at Maple Hill High School, has been named as one of the 10 scholastic award recipients for 2023 by the Capital District Sports Women of the Year organization.

Rachael, who competes in basketball, soccer, and track & field, will be recognized at the Capital District Sports Women of the Year Awards Gala on Monday, August 7 at 7:00 p.m. at the GE Theatre at Proctors in Schenectady. Ticket information is to be announced.

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, Rachael has maintained a cumulative GPA greater than 95% at Maple Hill continuously throughout her middle and high school years. She was a Student of the Quarter three times from grades seven through 12 and was the Society of Women Engineers Merit Award Winner in 2022. Other awards she has received include the 2023 Rensselaer County Retired Teachers Association Education Scholarship Award, the 2023 Kiwanis Outstanding Senior Award and the 2023 C. Eleanor Tanner Business Education Award.

This past season, Rachael received the Patroon Conference Girls Scholar-Athlete Award for Girls Basketball and has been a Section 2 Scholar Athlete every season throughout her high school athletic career.  Rachael received the Most Improved Athlete award for the 2022 soccer season as well as being named a 2022 Second Team All-Star for Section 2 for Soccer.  In addition, she was the Most Improved player for the Basketball program for both the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 seasons as well as the Most Outstanding Defensive Player for the 2022-2023 season. She earned First Team All Star honors for the 2022 track and field season and the MVP of the Patroon Conference for the 2023 track season. She also received the Most Improved Award for the 2022 track & field season and MVP for the 2023 season.

Rachael’s community service includes volunteering for Quilts for Kids, which she has done since the age of 6. This is a non-profit organization dedicated to transforming fabric into patchwork quilts for comfort children facing serious illness, trauma, abuse, and natural disasters. Rachael also volunteers for the Maple Hill Booster Club, working at all concession events and in other areas to assist the high school athletic department. She had done this since she was in 6th grade.  In addition, Rachael has spent her time volunteering within the Sacred Heart CYO Basketball program.

A total of 10 high school and three college female student-athletes will be honored at the August 7 event. The next recipient will be announced on June 23.

ALBANY, NY – Emily Frost, a senior at Tamarac High School, has been named as one of the 10 scholastic award recipients for 2023 by the Capital District Sports Women of the Year organization.

Emily, who competes in wrestling, will be recognized at the Capital District Sports Women of the Year Awards Gala on Monday, August 7 at 7:00 p.m. at the GE Theatre at Proctors in Schenectady. Ticket information is to be announced.

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, Emily has a 96.47 GPA and ranks in the top 10 of her class at Tamarac. She has achieved this despite the fact that she is taking eight credits worth of classes each year, above the school average. Emily has taken all three of the AP classes offered at Tamarac and has been on the Honor Roll or High Honor Roll throughout her entire high school career.

Emily earned many athletic achievements in wrestling. She is the 2023 Eastern States Champion and the 2023 Women’s Freestyle State Champion as well as a United World Wrestling World Team Trials U20 All-American this year. She earned fourth place in 2023 Section 2 Class “C.” In 2022, Emily was a Women’s Freestyle State Champion and a United World Wrestling World Team Trials U17 All-American. In 2021, she was a Fargo Nationals All-American. She will attend the University of Iowa to compete in wrestling this fall.

Emily’s community service includes playing an integral part of the Curby Youth Wrestling Club. She volunteers for this organization throughout the year. This includes coaching and serving as a mentor to young wrestlers, along with imparting valuable life lessons, instilling confidence, and encouraging young athletes to pursue their dreams without fear.

A total of 10 high school and three college female student-athletes will be honored at the August 7 event. The next recipient will be announced on June 21.

ALBANY, NY – Jessica Mendoza, an Olympic Gold medalist and ESPN broadcaster, will serve as the virtual guest speaker at the 2023 Capital District Sports Women of the Year Awards Gala. The event will take place on Monday, August 7, 2023, at the GE Theatre at Proctors in Schenectady, NY and will begin at 7:00 p.m.

The Capital District Sports Women of the Year program (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. Ticket information will be announced in the month of July. Recipients will be announced throughout June and July at CDSWOY.COM.

“Jessica Mendoza is a trailblazer, and a fitting guest speaker for our 2023 honorees,” said Eric McDowell, President of the Capital District Sports Women of the Year Awards program. “From her days as an All-American softball star at Stanford, to her memorable moments on the U.S. Olympic softball medal-winning teams, to her broadcasting career, Jessica has been an inspiration. We are honored to have her speak to the CDSWOY Class of 2023.”

Jessica joined ESPN in 2007 and in 2015, became the first woman to serve as an analyst for nationally-televised Major League Baseball games. She has since become one of the leading voices in ESPN’s Major League Baseball coverage.

She appears regularly on ESPN studio shows including Baseball Tonight, SportsCenter, Get Up and First Take. In 2020, Jessica became the first woman to serve as a World Series game analyst on national radio as she joined the MLB on ESPN Radio team for the World Series.

She has continuously made history as a Major League Baseball analyst, becoming the first female ESPN MLB game analyst on television during the August 24, 2015 edition of Monday Night Baseball. A few months later, Jessica became the first female analyst for a nationally televised MLB Postseason game, calling the American League Wild Card Game on ESPN. That year, she also became the first female analyst for a Men’s College World Series telecast.

Jessica appeared on several Sunday Night Baseball telecasts during the stretch run of the 2015 season and in 2016, ESPN officially named her to the Sunday Night Baseball team. She is the second-longest tenured Sunday Night Baseball analyst in the history of ESPN’s marquee MLB telecast.

In the 2020 MLB season, she became the first woman to serve as a solo analyst for a national package of MLB game telecasts including weeknight games and holiday baseball. She also served as an analyst in ESPN’s exclusive English-language KBO League coverage for the 2020 regular season.

One of the most notable softball players of the 2000’s, Jessica’s on-field experience seamlessly translated to television. Her ESPN career began in 2007 with her serving as a softball analyst and college football sideline reporter. In addition to her current MLB contributions, Jessica has also provided analysis on ESPN and ABC Little League World Series coverage since 2016. She has served as an analyst and reporter for the Men’s College World Series and since 2007 has been the lead analyst for ESPN’s coverage of the Women’s College World Series. Jessica also contributes content to espnW. Prior to her work with ESPN, Jessica was a field reporter for Yahoo! Sports at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games and also served as the lead college softball analyst on FOX Sports.

Jessica is a two-time Olympian and was a member of the U.S. Women’s National team from 2001-10. Her team took home the Gold Medal in Athens, Greece (2004) and the Silver Medal in Beijing, China (2008). She is both a three-time World Champion (2002, 2006, 2010) and World Cup Champion (2006, 2007, 2010), in addition to being a two-time Pan American Gold Medalist (2003, 2007). In 2006, she was named the USA Softball Athlete of the Year and was also recognized in 2008 as the Women’s Sports Foundation Sportswoman of the Year. In 2019, Mendoza was inducted into the National Softball Hall of Fame.

Jessica was a four-time first team All-American while playing outfield at Stanford University. She led the team to their first ever Women’s College World Series appearance and finished her college career with school records that are still held today in: batting average (.416), hits (327), runs scored (230) and career home runs (50). She was a three-time Stanford Female Athlete of the Year and a First Team Academic All-American in 2002.

Jessica graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in American Studies in 2002 and a Masters in Social Sciences in Education in 2003. She is originally from Camarillo, Calif.

Previous speakers for the CDSWOY Awards Gala were Chris Plonsky (University of Texas Chief of Staff and Senior Associate Athletics Director), Tara VanDerveer (Stanford women’s basketball coach) and Lindsay Jacobellis (Olympic snowboarder).

ALBANY, NY – The 2023 Capital District Sports Women of the Year Awards Gala will take place on Monday, August 7, 2023, at the GE Theatre at Proctors in Schenectady, NY. The event will begin at 7:00 p.m.

The Capital District Sports Women of the Year program (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. Ticket information will be announced later in the month of July. Recipients will be announced throughout June and July at CDSWOY.COM.

CDSWOY conducted voting from a committee of media professionals at a press luncheon, and the selections will be announced throughout June and July.

At the press conference, CDSWOY announced that the virtual guest speaker for the Awards Gala will be Olympic Gold Medalist and ESPN personality Jessica Mendoza. Selected members of the Empire State Youth Orchestra will perform at the Awards Gala.

The CDSWOY initiative was created by Eric McDowell, President of The Eric Idea Agency, a Capital District business that provides services in public and media relations, event management and M.C. services. McDowell is a veteran of collegiate and professional sports communications.

“This is the fourth year of our program, and we continue to be amazed with the remarkable achievements of the female student-athletes in the Capital District,” said Eric McDowell, President of CDSWOY. “The recipients who we will announce throughout the summer and whom we will honor in August are role models for us all with their work in the classroom, in the community, and in the playing arena.”

Candidates for CDSWOY recognition come from institutions in Section II in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association and colleges that feature athletics in the Capital District. The Athletic Director from each institution was provided the opportunity to nominate one female student-athlete for CDSWOY recognition. The 2023 CDSWOY Awards Gala at Proctors will feature three collegiate and 10 scholastic honorees, with a Grand Collegiate Sports Woman of the Year and Grand Scholastic Sports Woman of the Year announced that evening.

Capital District Sports Women of the Year 2023 Schedule of Announcements
The announcements of the 2023 Capital District Sports Women of the Year honorees will take place during the months of June and July prior to the Awards Gala on August 7 at Proctors. Announcements will be made from June 19 to July 20, at 3:00 PM Eastern time on cdswoy.com.

Here is the schedule for the 2023 announcements:

• June 19 – High School Honoree
• July 12 – College Honoree
• June 21 – High School Honoree
• July 14 – High School Honoree
• June 23 – High School Honoree
• July 17 – High School Honoree
• June 26 – College Honoree
• July 18 – High School Honoree
• June 28 – High School Honoree
• July 19 – College Honoree
• June 29 – High School Honoree
• July 20 – High School Honoree
• July 10 – High School Honoree
• August 7 – Grand Scholastic Woman of the Year and Grand Collegiate Woman of the Year (at Awards Gala)

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

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