Syracuse, NY — The State University of New York Athletic Conference announced the recipient of its annual Dr. Dolores Bogard SUNYAC Women's Scholar Athlete of the Year with Hawks women's soccer senior Rachel Eisert named for her prowess both on the field and in the classroom.
 
Eisert is just the third female recipient SUNY New Paltz has had, and first since women's swimming alumna Michelle Coombs was awarded following the 2006-07 season with women's soccer alumna Jessica Nadolny the first winner following the 1999-00 season. The Hawks have only had three total recipients on the women's side since the inception of the award in 1985, have had just three combined on both the men and women's side prior to this year.
 
The Dr. Dolores Bogard SUNYAC Female Scholar Athlete of the Year is presented annually to a senior student-athlete with the best combination of academic and athletic ability as voted upon by the membership body. Nominees must be a senior in athletic eligibility, have the most outstanding combination of academic and athletic achievement, sustain at least a 3.30 cumulative GPA through the spring semester and must be a full SUNYAC member institution.  
Eisert embodied the award, establishing herself as one of the best players to come out of the SUNYAC and unarguably the most decorated for the Hawks, which concluded in a career season this past fall. She led SUNY New Paltz to just its second SUNYAC title and first in more than a decade while being named SUNYAC Tournament MVP. She was named to her second straight SUNYAC Offensive Player of the Year honor after breaking her own single season records for goals (15) and points (34). She landed her third consecutive All-Region honor and solidified herself as the best to suit up for the Hawks as she was named the program's first ever United Soccer Coaches All-American selection, earning a spot on second team.
 
Academically, Eisert notched her second-straight United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-America recognition, along with being named as the SUNYAC Women's Soccer Scholar Athlete of the Year in back-to-back seasons as well as being this year's SUNY Division III Women's Soccer Scholar Athlete of the Year.
 
Graduating with her undergraduate degree in Communication Disorders, Eisert earned a spot on the SUNYAC Commissioner's List for four straight years, along with being a high honors student and landing on the Hawks Academic Honor roll each semester. She is also a two-year Chi Alpha Sigma National Honor Society Inductee and was a SUNY New Paltz Student Affairs President's Award recipient.
 
The women's SUNYAC Scholar Athlete of the Year award is named after the Dr. Dolores Bogard who was an administrator and coach at SUNY Cortland for more than 20 years. She served as SUNYAC President during the 1987-88 year.  
 
To view the full SUNYAC press release, click here.
 
 
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