SCHENECTADY, NY – Beth Irwin, a junior at Guilderland High School, has been named as one of the 10 scholastic award recipients for 2021 by the Capital District Sports Women of the Year.

Beth, 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 9 at 7:00 p.m. at the GE Theatre at Proctors in Schenectady. Ticket information will be posted soon.

The Capital District Sports Women of the Year (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, Beth currently has a 97 GPA while taking honors, AP and college courses. She received an Academic Excellence in Spanish 4 Award, as well as numerous NYSPHSAA Scholar-Athlete Awards. A member of the National Honor Society, Beth received the Society of Women Engineers Award and attended a National Student Leadership Conference in forensics.

Athletically, Beth ranked second out of 65 student-athletes in cross country and was the recipient of the 100% Award as well as the 300+ Miles Award. She was voted captain for her upcoming senior year. Earlier in her career Beth was named the Most Improved Varsity Runner as well as the Most Valuable Freshman. In Nordic ski, she was the MVP in each of the last two seasons and was also the captain of that team this past season. She ranked first among 20 students on the team and had won Dutchmen of the Week and Rookie of the Year honors during her time on the slopes.

Beth’s community service includes serving as a Girl Scouts Ambassador, serving meals at the soup kitchen at Temple Beth Emeth. She helped a local business clean and rebuild its facility and made over 100 masks for people living in a 65+ senior living facility during the pandemic. A treasurer of Vex Robotics, Beth has completed nearly 200 hours of service in her three years at Guilderland High School.

CDSWOY will announce the next student-athlete recipient on June 28 and Mondays and Wednesdays through July 21. A total of 10 high school and two college female student-athletes will be honored.

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SCHENECTADY, NY – Clare Howard, a senior at Taconic Hills High School, has been named as one of the 10 scholastic award recipients for 2021 by the Capital District Sports Women of the Year.

Clare, who competes in cross country, alpine ski, soccer, swimming, and track & field, will be recognized at the Capital District Sports Women of the Year Awards Gala on Monday, August 9 at 7:00 p.m. at the GE Theatre at Proctors in Schenectady. Ticket information will be posted soon.

The Capital District Sports Women of the Year (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, Clare is a member of the National Honor Society and is a NYS Athletic Administrators Association Scholar-Athlete nominee. She ranks third in her senior class and won the 2020 RPI Medal for Math and Science. She also won the 2020 RIT Award for Innovation and Creativity. Clare was accepted to play cello with the NYS Empire State String Youth Orchestra. She was an NYS School Music Association Soloist in cello, flute, and piano.

Athletically, Clare earned varsity letters in five sports, including dual sports in the fall (cross country and soccer) and dual sports in the winter (alpine ski and swimming) and with her spring sport, track & field. In track & field, she set new school records in the pentathlon, steeplechase, 100 hurdles, 400 hurdles, 1600 relay and the 3200 relay. She was a two-time state qualifier, three-time Patroon Conference 400 Hurdle Champion, and a three-time Patroon Conference First Team All Star. She was the MVP in 2018 and 2021, 2019 Coach Award recipient and member of the 2018 and 2019 conference title teams as well as the Section II title teams in 2017 and 2019. Clare earned three Section 2 title in 2021 and was named the Patroon Conference Track MVP. At the 2021 Colonie Relays, Clare was first in the 400 hurdles and set school and meet records while posting the fastest time in the State at 1:03.86. She was third in the heptathlon at the USATF Youth National Championships. In swimming, Clare set a new school record in the 400 free relay and was the 2021 captain. Her team won the 2018 Southern Division Championship. In skiing, Clare was named a 2021 Section II First Team All Star for Alpine Skiing and earned her team’s MVP award. She was co-captain of the high school ski team for two years and earned the Leadership Award in 2020. On weekends during the winter seasons, Clare competed for the Catamount Alpine Ski Racing Team. She qualified to compete in the NYS Ski Championships for three years and had to be one of the top 10 in Section 2 to qualify. Clare qualified for the USA Ski under 16 women’s finals and the under 19 women’s finals.

Clare’s community service includes volunteering to help run a youth track program and with the humane society as a dog walker. She was treasurer for her class for three years and Senior Class President. Clare also worked as a board representative for the Scholarship Committee for Dollars for Scholars, and a senior class representative for the school’s reopening committee during the Covid-19 closure.

CDSWOY will announce the next student-athlete recipient on June 23 and Mondays and Wednesdays through July 21. A total of 10 high school and two college female student-athletes will be honored.

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SCHENECTADY, NY – Madison Relyea, a senior at Mayfield High School, has been named as one of the 10 scholastic award recipients for 2021 by the Capital District Sports Women of the Year.

Madison, 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 9 at 7:00 p.m. at the GE Theatre at Proctors in Schenectady. Ticket information will be posted soon.

The Capital District Sports Women of the Year (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, Madison is a member of the National Honor Society and is consistently on the Academic Excellence List at Mayfield High. She received the Russell Sage College Student Sage Scholarship and has represented Mayfield at Student Leadership Conferences. Her teams are always on the NYS Scholar-Athlete Teams lists. Madison was named the University Scholar-Athlete in recognition of outstanding academic record and accomplishments by St. Lawrence University.

Athletically, Madison competed at the state level in cross country each season from 2016 through 2019 (the states were not held in 2020). She competed in the Federation and Regional championships in her sophomore and junior seasons. She won the individual league championship every season since 2016 and won the individual sectional title in 2018 and 2019. In Nordic ski, Madison won the individual sectional championship in 2019 and 2020 and competed in the states each season since 2016. She was #2 in the state in 2019 and #1 in 2020. On the track, Madison has five records at Mayfield High, including the 800, 1500, 2000 steeplechase, 3000 and part of the 4 x 800. This season, she had two sectional first place finishes (4 x 400 and 4 x 800) as well as two second place finishes (2000 steeplechase and 1500). In 2019, she won four events at the league championship meet and took first place in the sectionals in the 1500 and second place in the 800. She joined her teammates for second and fifth place performances in relays that season. In her sophomore season, she won the 1500 at the state qualifiers for small school runners and was fifth for small competitors in the event at the state championships.

Madison’s community service includes volunteering at a local stable grooming horses and cleaning stalls. She also mentors young horseback students. Madison has organized fun runs for community youth to promote an active lifestyle, and has also volunteered at kayak/canoe poker events to benefit the local hospice.

CDSWOY will announce the next student-athlete recipient on June 21 and Mondays and Wednesdays through July 21. The final announcement will be made on Friday, July 23. A total of 10 high school and two college female student-athletes will be honored.

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SCHENECTADY, NY – Isabella Mancini, a senior at Galway High School, has been named as one of the 10 scholastic award recipients for 2021 by the Capital District Sports Women of the Year program.

Isabella, who competes in soccer, basketball and softball, will be recognized at the Capital District Sports Women of the Year Awards Gala on Monday, August 9 at 7:00 p.m. at the GE Theatre at Proctors in Schenectady. Ticket information will be posted soon.

The Capital District Sports Women of the Year (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, Isabella was the 2021 Valedictorian for Galway High School. She received the Bausch & Lomb Honorary Science Award, the University of Rochester High School Merit Scholarship Award and the Galway Central School District Soaring Eagle Award. She received the Academic Scholarship Recognition Award for three consecutive years.

Athletically, Isabella was named the 2021 Galway CSD Female Athlete of the Year. She was named to the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Soccer All Star First Team and was also a WAC First Team All Star in the Mohawk Division. She received NYSPHSAA Section 2 First Team honors. Isabella was a softball Defensive Player of the Year award recipient and won Rookie of the Year honors in track and field in her freshman year.

Isabella’s community service includes receiving the Lions International Award for Excellence. She served the Catholic Church Community Service Group and the Animal Re-population program for Saratoga as well as the Best Buddies Club. She was the Galway Class of 2021 Treasurer, the Student Senate Treasurer, the Science Club Vice President and Secretary, and the Leo’s Club Vice President.

CDSWOY will announce the next student-athlete recipient on June 16 and Mondays and Wednesdays through July 21. The final announcement will be made on Friday, July 23. A total of 10 high school and two college female student-athletes will be honored.

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ALBANY, NY – Tara VanDerveer, the all-time winningest coach in women’s college basketball, will serve as the virtual guest speaker at the 2021 Capital District Sports Women of the Year Awards Gala. The event will take place on Monday, August 9, 2021 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 later in the month of June.

“We truly appreciate Coach VanDerveer’s time to speak at our Awards Gala,” said Eric McDowell, President of CDSWOY. “The numbers speak for themselves. She has impacted so many individuals throughout her remarkable career, and it is such a privilege for us that she will touch on her highlights as well as provide inspiration to not only our honorees, but to all of us. Her support of CDSWOY and its mission means the world to us.”

Coach VanDerveer has cemented herself as one of the top coaches in the history of the sport, both collegiately and internationally, and is a member of both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (2011) and the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame (2002). An ambassador for both Stanford and the sport of college basketball, VanDerveer has enjoyed an unprecedented level of success through an energetic and positive approach to the game. A five-time national coach of the year (1988, 1989, 1990, 2011, 2021) and 16-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year, VanDerveer, who prior to coming to Stanford served as head coach for a combined seven seasons at Idaho and Ohio State, has accumulated an impressive 1,125-255 (.815) record in her 42 years as a collegiate head coach and an 973-204 (.827) record over 35 seasons at Stanford.

The 2020-21 season was a momentous one for VanDerveer, as she led the Cardinal back atop the collegiate mountaintop, all while maneuvering a global pandemic, and also broke the all-time wins record in women’s college basketball. On December 15, 2021, she became the sport’s winningest coach, breaking Tennessee’s Pat Summitt’s mark of 1,098. Stanford finished the year 31-2, winning both the Pac-12 regular season and tournament titles, earning the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and claiming the national championship for the first time since 1992.
 
VanDerveer became the second women’s coach to reach 1,000 career wins when Stanford beat USC on Feb. 3, 2017. VanDerveer has more career wins to her name than 344 of the country’s 351 Division I programs. She has led her Stanford teams to three NCAA Championships (1990, 1992, 2021), one of four coaches in the history of the sport to win three titles. She has advanced the Cardinal to 13 NCAA Final Fours, 23 Pac-12 regular-season titles, 14 Pac-12 Tournament crowns and 32 trips to the NCAA Tournament. She also guided Idaho to an AIAW Tournament and Ohio State to a pair of NCAA Tournaments while twice being named Big Ten Coach of the Year.
 
Her teams have won 20 or more games 36 times, including each of the last 20 seasons, and collected at least 30 victories 16 times. She has accounted for 973 of Stanford’s 1,149 total victories since its first varsity season in 1975 (85%). Overall, VanDerveer has guided her players to two Wade Trophy Player of the Year honors, two Naismith Player of the Year honors, 32 first-team All-America honors (WBCA and Associated Press), 18 Pac-12 Player of the Year awards, 80 first team All-Pac-12 selections and nearly 40 appointments to USA Basketball teams. Stanford has had 30 players play in a regular-season WNBA game since the league’s inception in 1997. The program boasts 12 first-round draft picks out of its 27 all-time selections, including 2016 WNBA MVP Nneka Ogwumike, and has had seven players win a total of eight WNBA titles. In 1995-96 VanDerveer served as head coach of the USA Basketball National Team, leading the team to a 52-0 exhibition record and then to the Olympic gold medal with a perfect 8-0 run at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
 
VanDerveer is a 1975 graduate of Indiana University, where she was a dean’s list scholar for three years and a sociology major. While at Indiana, VanDerveer held one of the starting guard positions for three years on the women’s basketball team. For her efforts at Indiana and her accomplishments after leaving the Hoosiers, VanDerveer was inducted into the Indiana University Hall of Fame in 1995. An avid piano player in her spare time, VanDerveer is a Boston native who grew up in Schenectady. She is also a published author. Her book Shooting From The Outside, which chronicled her 1996 Olympic and National Team experience, was released in September 1997.

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ALBANY, NY – The 2021 Capital District Sports Women of the Year Awards Gala will take place on Monday, August 9, 2021 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 June.

CDSWOY conducted voting from a committee of media professionals following a press conference on June 1, 2021 at O’Toole’s Restaurant Pub, 1814 Central Ave. in Albany. The selections will be announced throughout June and July. 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.

“We are so pleased to honor these exceptional young ladies, especially after such a difficult and challenging academic and athletic calendar year,” said McDowell. “I am thrilled that we can conduct our event at Proctors, as we had planned for 2020. This historic entertainment facility is the perfect home to shine the bright lights on these remarkable women, who will be honored and recognized for their success and service.”

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 2021 CDSWOY Awards Gala at Proctors will feature two collegiate and 10 scholastic honorees, with a Grand Collegiate Sports Woman of the Year and Grand Scholastic Sports Woman of the Year selected by the committee.

Capital District Sports Women of the Year 2021 Schedule of Announcements
The announcements of the 2021 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 9 at Proctors. Announcements will be made on Mondays and Wednesdays, from June 14 to July 21, at 3:00 PM Eastern time on cdswoy.com. The Grand recipients will be announced at the Gala.

Here is the schedule for the 2020 announcements:

• June 14 – High School Honoree
• June 16 – High School Honoree
• June 21 – High School Honoree
• June 23 – High School Honoree
• June 28 – College Honoree
• June 30 – High School Honoree
• July 5 – High School Honoree
• July 7 – High School Honoree
• July 12 – College Honoree
• July 14 – High School Honoree
• July 19 – High School Honoree
• July 21 – High School Honoree
• August 9 – Grand Scholastic Woman of the Year and Grand Collegiate Woman of the Year (at Gala)

LATHAM, NY — The Capital District Sports Women of the Year, Inc., which recently hosted its first ever Awards Event, made a donation to the American Cancer Society on September 3 at the local office in the Capital District.

CDSWOY President Eric McDowell provided a check to Annemarie Dillon, the Senior Manager of the American Cancer Society in the Albany, New York region. The donation was made in honor of Chris Plonsky of the University of Texas, who served as the virtual guest speaker for the CDSWOY Awards Event on August 18. Chris is the Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director/Chief of Staff and is UT’s Senior Woman Administrator for Big 12 Conference and NCAA governance. 

“Especially during these challenging times, we are grateful to the Capital District Sports Women of the Year for choosing the American Cancer Society as a charity to support this year,” commented Dillon. “We’re proud to partner with local organizations to continue our mission and attacking cancer from every angle here in the Capital Region.”

“We are proud to make a donation for Chris’ chosen charity,” said McDowell. “We appreciated her time to deliver her message, experiences and guidance to our recipients. The American Cancer Society is close to home with me as well with family members who have been affected. I appreciate Annmarie’s service and the work of all her colleagues at the American Cancer Society.”

The Capital District Sports Women of the Year recognizes 10 high school and three college female student-athletes for outstanding academics, athletics and community service. The next Awards Event is scheduled for May of 2021.

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ALBANY, NY — Morgan Burchhardt, a senior from The College of Saint Rose, and Lydia Ware, a senior from Averill Park High School, received Grand honors at the Capital District Sports Women of the Year Awards Event held at The Desmond Hotel Albany.

Burchhardt was named the Grand Collegiate Woman of the Year and Ware was named the Grand Scholastic Woman of the Year. The event also honored nine other high school and two other college female student-athletes from the region, who made up the 2020 (and first ever) Class of the Capital District Sports Women of the Year. CDSWOY honors excellence in academics, athletics and community service.

The event featured the honorees and two guests each at The Desmond. A live video was provided as well. The virrtual guest speaker was Chris Plonsky of the University of Texas, who serves as the Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director/Chief of Staff and UT’s Senior Woman Administrator for Big 12 Conference and NCAA governance. Plonsky is a past president of of NACDA, NACMA and Women Leaders in College Sports (formerly NACWAA).

Morgan Burchhardt was named a United Soccer Coaches second team Scholar All-American and a United Soccer Coaches first team Scholar All-East. Athletically, Morgan was a United Soccer Coaches third-team All-America pick and earned United Soccer Coaches first-team All-East honors. She was a Northeast 10 first-team All-Conference pick and made the NE-10 Championship All-Tournament Team and made the NCAA National Championship All-Tournament Team as her team reached the national semifinals. She was a four-time NE-10 All-Conference pick. A D2CCA second-team All-East pick, Morgan was named to the NE-10 weekly honor roll (10/21/19). She was fourth in program annals with 114 points, tied for 11th with 31 goals, and second with 52 assists. Morgan is one of only eight players in school history to record 100 career points. She was one of 14 active players in the country with 30 goals and 20 assists in 2019. Morgan was the active NCAA Division II leader in assists in 2019. She is the only player in school annals to record 10 or more assists in four separate seasons. Morgan’s community service includes the following: a former two-year Executive Board member of Saint Rose Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, a four year member of SAAC, named the recipient of the 2019 Michael Simpson Striker Award, which is bestowed upon a Golden Knights men’s or women’s soccer player who is active in community service as determined by the athletics coaching staff, volunteer at Capital City Rescue Mission – Albany Food Bank, Team Reading Days at the Delaware Community School (City School District of Albany’s only school offering a bilingual education curriculum. The Dual Language Program teaches students in both English and Spanish), organized Penny Wars, fundraiser for the Strength in Numbers non-profit organization, Coaches U-10 & U-12 girls teams – Albany Alleycats Premier, Delaware Community School Volunteer – Mardi Gras and Math Night, Team Impact – Leadership position, and a volunteer at Saint Rose Women’s Soccer Youth Clinics.

Lydia Ware is Valedictorian of the APHS class of 2020 and a member of the National Honor Society. Other honors include recognition as a National Merit Scholarship Corporation Finalist, recipient of the Rensselaer Medal Award, New York State Capital District Society of Women Engineers Certificate of Merit, CASDA Capital Region Scholar, NYS Scholarship for Academic Excellence, and Averill Park High School Academic Excellence Awards for 13 courses over the span of her freshman through junior years. Lydia received Rensselaer County Legislature Commendation in her freshman, sophomore and junior years, which is awarded to the top five students per class at Averill Park. She participated in the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth program, earning High Honors (awarded to the top 30% of selected students). Lydia was a member of the soccer team with Scholar-Athlete honors for three seasons, Varsity member of the track & field team with Scholar-Athlete honors all four seasons, Suburban Scholastic Council All-Star Award in outdoor track, APHS Coach Aldi Athleticism, Leadership, Dedication and Integrity Award, qualifier for NY State Outdoor Championships in the 100m and 200m, APHS outdoor record holder in the 100m, 200m, 4x100m and 4x400m relay, APHS Most Outstanding Track Performer Award, indoor record holder in the 55m, 400m, 4x200m, 4x400m, and sprint medley relays, qualifier for  NY State Indoor Championships in the 55m, third place in the NY State Intersectional Relay, Penn Relays Wheel 4x400m, Times Union High School Track & Field All Star, Second Team Suburban Scholastic Council All-Star, APHS Most Outstanding Sprinter, APHS Most Outstanding Scholar Athlete, and APHS Rising Star Award. Lydia’s community service includes Averill Park Student-Athlete Advisory Council, Secretary and co-founder of the APHS Science Club. Camper in Leadership Training and Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) program participant at Camp Cedarbrook in the Adirondacks, Music Ministries, Child Nurture Ministries, Vacation Bible School volunteer, and Audio/Visual Ministries at Brunswick Church.

The other members of the CDSWOY Class of 2020: 

• Liz Brady, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
• MacKenzie Brown, Rensselaer HS
• Amelia Canetto, Taconic Hills HS
• Morgan Fish, Fort Edward HS
• Megan Flynn, The Sage Colleges
• Rachel Hunsicker, Lake George HS
• Brytney Moore, Northville HS
• Brooke Pickett, Stillwater HS
• Makenzie Terrell, Middleburgh HS
• Lauren Willis, South Glens Falls HS
• Rachel Wnuk, Galway HS

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AUSTIN, TX — Chris Plonsky of the University of Texas, one of the leading administrators in collegiate athletics and a past president of three national organizations, will serve as a virtual Guest Speaker for the first Capital District Sports Women of the Year Awards Event. The event will be held on Tuesday, August 18 at The Desmond Hotel Albany at 6 p.m.

Due to current conditions, the event will be limited in attendance to award recipients and two guests. But the event will be broadcast with a live video. Individuals who register for the live video by August 12 will receive a complimentary mailed copy of the 2020 CDSWOY Awards Event Program, a 32-page publication that includes exclusive features written by sports staff members of The Daily Gazette. A drawing will be held from all video registrants and one lucky winner will receive a personal portrait photography package from Lauren Hull Photography.
Plonsky has worked in college athletics since 1976 and is in her 32nd year at The University of Texas. She is Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director/Chief of Staff and is UT’s Senior Woman Administrator for Big 12 Conference and NCAA governance.

Plonsky is a USA Basketball board member, a USOC Collegiate Advisory Council member and an emeritus board member of the National Football Foundation/College Football Hall of Fame. She is past president of NACDA, NACMA and Women Leaders in College Sports (formerly NACWAA). She is a past member of the NACDA Board, the LEAD1 board (formerly Division 1AD Association) and has served NCAA committees on Academic Performance, Women’s Basketball Competition and NCAA Commercialization activities. She chaired the NCAA Division I Management Council in 2003.

“I am so pleased that Chris Plonsky will serve as our Guest Speaker for the first Capital District Sports Women of the Year Awards Event,” stated Eric McDowell, President of CDSWOY. “I’ve known and followed her from her start in athletic communications, through her years at the Big East and at the University of Texas. She is one of the most respected collegiate athletic administrators in the country. Her words of wisdom from her experiences, including serving as President of NACDA and also the Women’s Leaders in College Sports organization, will serve as a guiding light to our honorees. I truly thank her for her time and support of CDSWOY.”

Plonsky supervises staff leaders in student services (academics, career/leadership/personal development), equipment, compliance/risk management and sports medicine/health and wellness/strength performance. The latter area also includes staff experts in nutrition, behavioral health and applied sports science.

At Texas, she was women’s athletics director from April 2001-December 2017. From 1993-2017, she also supervised revenue areas in sponsorship, marketing, licensing and television. She worked in communications/media relations at Iowa State University (1979-81), Texas (1982-86) and The BIG EAST Conference (1986-90). After three years in administration at The BIG EAST as associate commissioner (1990-93), she returned to Texas in October 1993.

Born in Pittsburgh and raised in Greensburg, Pa., and northeast Ohio, Plonsky earned a B.S. Journalism degree in 1979 at Kent State University, where she was a three-year basketball student-athlete, undergraduate KSU athletics media relations assistant and editor of The Daily Kent Stater.

In Austin, Plonsky is a member of many University campus committees and serves as a volunteer on the University Federal Credit Union supervisory committee.

The Capital District Sports Women of the Year Awards Event will recognize 10 high school and three college female student-athletes for outstanding academics, athletics and community service.

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