Syracuse, NY — State University of New York at New Paltz sophomore outfielder Jackie Rometo added another accolade to a career season, as she was named the 2023 SUNYAC Softball Scholar Athlete of the Year Tuesday announced by the conference office.
 
The SUNYAC Scholar Athlete of the Year award is given to an individual in each respective sport who has shown both academic and athletic excellence. Recipients must have at least a 3.30 GPA and be a starter or significant reserve player in at least their second season. Rometo joins just Hawks women's volleyball junior Cate DiGiacomo to receive the award for the 2022-23 academic year in their respective sport.
 
"I'm so proud of Jackie for being honored as this year's SUNYAC Softball Scholar Athlete of the Year," said Hawks coach Krysti Maronski. "This award embodies an athlete who pursues excellence off the field as much as they do on the field and Jackie is a student-athlete who excels at both."
In just her second season, Rometo developed into the best player in the SUNYAC this past season and one of the best overall players in the region. She became just the second Hawk (in back-to-back seasons no less) to be named as the SUNYAC Player of the Year and led the team to its first ever No. 1 overall seed in the SUNYAC Postseason Tournament. She ranked first in every statistical hitting category for SUNY New Paltz, batting .427 with an OPS of .1061, pacing her team in at-bats (143), runs scored (42), hits (61), doubles (13), triples (3), RBI (38), total bases (83), slugging percentage (.580), on base percentage (.481) and stolen bases, going 18-for-20 attempts.
 
Along with her prowess at the plate, she fortified one of the best outfields in the conference, manning left field with a near perfect fielding percentage of .983 on 54 chances, 53 putouts and four assists, which helped her not only land SUNYAC Player of the Year honors and her first trip on first team All-SUNYAC list but also joined just nine other Hawks to earn All-Region honors, landing on the NFCA All-Northeast second team.
 
As good as Rometo was on the field, she matched her success in the classroom. She earned herself on the SUNYAC Commissioner's Academic Honor's List for the second straight year and for the fourth consecutive semester was named to the Hawks Academic Honor Roll, which recognizes student-athletes that earn a 3.40 GPA or higher in each semester, along with landing on Dean's List, all as a Communication's Disorders major. 
 
"She amazes me all the time with how she carries herself in all aspects of her life," said Maronski, "managing her time so well and on top of it all, being such a humble, selfless human."
 
To view the official SUNYAC press release, click here.
 
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