Rob Maeske The Chronicle-ExpressThe New York State Public High School Athletic Association Inc. (NYSPHSAA) recently announced its Winter 2023 scholar-athlete teams and number of individuals. This is the 31st year the NYSPHSAA has conducted the Scholar-Athlete program, which is sponsored by Pupil Benefits Plan, Inc. For Winter 2023, NYSPHSAA recognized 3,010 Scholar-Athlete teams and 34,565 individuals. A total of 595 schools across the state participated in the Scholar-Athlete program which honors schools each of the seasons there is interscholastic competition. Approximately 75% of the NYSPHSAA membership participated in the Winter Scholar-Athlete program. To receive Scholar-Athlete team recognition with a certificate, the team’s average GPA for 75% of the roster must be greater than or equal to 90.00. If a team does not meet the scholar-athlete team criteria, the individuals on that team with a 90.00 or above GPA are still eligible to receive a pin and will be considered an Individual Scholar-Athlete. Penn Yan Academy had four teams earn a scholar-athlete certificate, including Boys Indoor Track & Field, Boys Wrestling, Girls Basketball and Girls Bowling. For individual honors, Penn Yan’s Boys Basketball team had four athletes, Boys Bowling had three athletes, Competitive Cheer had one athlete, and Girls Indoor Track & Field had one athlete. Dundee High School had four teams earn a certificate including Boys Indoor Track & Field, Girls Basketball, Girls Bowling, and Girls Indoor Track & Field. For individual honors, Dundee’s Boys Basketball team had seven athletes, Boys Bowling had two athletes, Boys Wrestling had one athlete and Competitive Cheer had four athletes. Naples High School had four teams earn a certificate, including Boys Basketball, Boys Swimming & Diving, Girls Basketball, and Girls Skiing. For individual honors, Naples’ Boys Bowling team had three athletes and Boys Skiing had four athletes. Marcus Whitman had three teams qualify for a certificate, including Boys Indoor Track & Field, Girls Bowling and Girls Indoor Track & Field. “The student-athletes continue to amaze with the great work they do in the classroom each and every day,” said Dr. Robert Zayas, NYSPHSAA Executive Director. “The Scholar-Athlete program shows how hard our student-athletes work on their studies, while also balancing the time they put into their athletic activities. These young men and women are remarkable and deserve to be highlighted.” The number of Scholar-Athlete teams increased by 129 from the Fall 2022, while the number of individuals honored increased by 982 compared to last fall.
