The Faculty Athletic Representatives (FARs) around the AMCC have voted on and selected the 2023 FAR Award Winners. On the men's side is Hilbert College men's basketball player Zach Miller while Hilbert cross country/track and field runner and softball player Abigail Dent represents the women's side. Miller and Dent were chosen from among 18 outstanding student-athletes named to the AMCC All-Academic Team, earning the prestigious honor after a successful four years in the classroom, in the community, and in their respective sport.
Miller graduated in May 2023 with a 4.0 in Legal Studies. He was a four-time AMCC Academic All-Conference member and AMCC Peak Performer. He is a member of the Chi Alpha Sigma National College Athlete Honor Society and will continue his education at Law School at the University of Buffalo. Miller was a guard on the Hawks' men's basketball team, and was a consummate team leader both on and off the court. He is the men's basketball program all-time leader with a 46-percent three-point percentage. Miller appeared in 23 games in 2022-23, making 16 starts. He averaged 22.3 minutes and 8.3 points per game, hitting .430 from the field. He is a three-time recipient of the Coaches Aiward, as selected by his coaching staff. He was the treasurer of the Hilbert Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for two years. Miller was awarded the 2023 McGrath Award, which is awarded to a male and female graduating student-athlete who has demonstrated exemplary achievement both academically and athletically while at Hilbert.
Dent gradated in May with a 3.94 GPA with a bachelors degree in Forensic Science/Crime Scene Investigation. She was a four-time member of the AMCC Academic All-Conference Team and a four-time AMCC Peak Performer while also being inducted into the Chi Alpha Sigma National Honor Society. She was a three sport student-athlete at Hilbert, participating in softball and women's cross country and track & field. She raced in every cross country meet this past fall, placing 15th at the Daniel Walker Invitational and 18th at the Meghan Memorial race. She was a two-time recipient of the coaches award for cross country, and also picked up the same honor for softball. She was also named to the AMCC All-Sportsmanship Team in the sport of softball. Dent served as a resident assistant, a student ambassador, was Vice President of the Student Government Association and was an active member of the Hilbert SAAC for four years. She was also awarded the McGrath Award for demonstrating exemplary achievement both academically and athletically while at Hilbert College.
Males:
Alfred State College SR basketball player Ben Reding graduated with a 4.00 GPA in Sport Management while minoring in Athletic Coaching, he was the 2023 Alfred State Athletics Academic Award Winner, inducted into the Chi Alpha Sigma, and was an essential worker for the Alfred State Athletics Department...La Roche University SR basketball player Branden Elchynski graduted with a 3.889 GPA in Finance/Management, was named the Outstanding Business Student and was nominated for the President's Leadership and Scholarship Award, Elchynski served as a member of the Financial Interest Group and was an insurance intern at Rossbacher Institute the past two summers...Mount Aloysius College SR soccer player Rhett Pletcher graduated with a 4.0 GPA in biology, he was a Mercy Presidential Scholar, the 2023 Male Scholar Athlete of the Year, a four-time member of the AMCC All-Academic Team and a four-time AMCC Peak Performer, he was named the 2021 Outstanding Organic Chemistry Student and served as the student commencement speaker for the fall graduating class in 2022. Pletcher was a four year starter for the men's soccer team, a two-time AMCC men's soccer champion, two-time AMCC First Team All-Conference selection, and was chosen as the team MVP...Penn State Altoona JR men's volleyball player Jared Kish carries a 3.84 GPA in Rail Transport Engineering, he is an outside hitter, middle hitter, and right side hitter and is one of a few players able to play all three positions in the front row and play them well, he is the designated player to escort prospectice recruits around Penn State Altoona's campus...Penn State Behrend SR golfer Ryan Johnson graduated with a 4.0 in Project and Supply Chain Management, was a four-time member of the Academic All-Conference Team, a member of Chi Alpha Sigma, and named Behrend's Male Academic Athlete of the Year; He finished the season ranked second on the team and sixth in the AMCC, earning AMCC Second Team All-Conference honors, while also being named the team's most improved player in 2002; Johnson was the co-leader of the Behrend Benefitting Thon (raised funds for Cancer Research), was a member of Delta Sigma Pi, Beta Gamme Sigma, and served as a college tour guide...Pitt-Bradford JR men's soccer player Evan Baldwin carries a 4.0 GPA in biology, he was named Pitt-Bradford's Male Scholar Athlete of the Year, while also being a member of the Dean's List and the AMCC All-Conference Academic Team, he plans on graduating a semester early and will continue his studies at LECOM...Pitt-Greensburg SR men's basketball player Connor Vehec graduated with a 3.5 GPA in applied mathematics and actuarial science, made the Dean's List every semester, was a memebr of Chi Alpha Sigma, and the NABC Honors Court; Vehec served as President of the UPG SAAC, was an active member if of the Black Student Union, served as a teaching assistant and tutor, assisted with freshmen move-in, and particiated in the Walk a Mile in her Shoes community event.
Females:
Alfred State SR soccer player and track and field runner Isabelle Popoff graduated with a 3.98 GPA in Architecture and Interior Design, she earned the Alfred State Athletics Academic Award and is a Chi Alpha Sigma inductee; she was a midfielder on the Pioneer soccer team and was an All-CSAC middle distance runner on the track team, picking up a CSAC title in the 4x400 relay...La Roche University SR soccer player Leti Alcaraz graduated in May with a degree in Sociology and International Studies, she was part of the Honor's Institute, nominated for the President's Leadership and Scholarship Awards and was the winner of the Lance Shaeffer "Carpe Diem" and the C. Wright Mills Awards; Alcaraz played in 48 games over her four years, was a team captain and scored two goals while ading four assists and a midfielder; She was Vice President of the SGA, President of the Spanish Club, served as a Peer Tutor, and was a Political Affairs Ambassador...Mount Aloysius College SR soccer player Kayla Schaal graduated witha 3.91 GPA in Natural Science with a minor in Psychology, she was a Mercy Presidential Scholar, the 2023 Mount Aloysius Female Scholar Athlete of the Year, a member of Chi Alpha Sigma, and a four-time member of the AMCC All-Academic Team; She is the CEO and Founder of the Kids with Dreams Foundation Intl. which collects and distributes used sports equipment to underprivileged communities...Penn State Altoona SR swimmer Avery Heisey graduated in May with a 3.66 GPA in Nursing, she set two individual records in the pool, along with being a part of five relay school records, earned three AMCC first place conference finishes and four second place finishes as the conference championship meet, she was a member of the Penn State Altoona SAAC and was involved with Student Nurses of Pennsylvania (SNAP) during her time at Penn State Altoona...Penn State Behrend SR soccer player Emily Clopp graduated with a 4.0 GPA in Psychology, she was named the Penn State Behrend Academic Athlete of the Year, was on the AMCC All-Academic team, and is a member of Chi Alpha Sigma; Clopp was an AMCC second team all-conference selection and served as captain of the women's soccer team her junior and senior seasons, she was involved with Fellowship of Christian Athletes and was a member of the Psi Chi International Honor Society in Psychology...Pitt-Bradford SR softball player Daytona Wentzel graduated with a 3.64 GPA in Psychology with a minor in Administration of Justice and Political Science, she was a four-time member of the AMCC Academic All-Confernce Team, three-time member of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Scholar All-American, received the Academic Excellence Award in the Division of Social Sciences, and was a presenter at Undergraduate Research Day; Wentzel was an AMCC All-Confernece selection in 2021 and named the 2023 Pitt-Bradford Female Scholar Athlete of the Year, she was a member of the UPB SAAC, served as a campus captain and mental health advocate for the Hidden Opponent, and volunteered for several other community service projects...Pitt-Greensburg SR women's soccer player Jenna Conty graduated with a 3.88 GPA in Biological Science, she was a member of the UPG Dean's List and Chi Alpha Sigma, as well as a four-time member of the AMCC All-Academic Team; Conty served as a Senator and the VP of the UPG SGA, Secretary of the UPG SAAC, Chairperson of the Campus Feedback and Development Committee, while also being a member of mulitple honor societies, she also volunteered for many charity organizations during her time at Pitt-Greensburg.