Albany, NY — From the State University of New York at New Paltz, two student-athletes are being honored with the SUNY Scholar Athlete of the Year Awards for combining academic achievement with success in the arena of athletic competition during the 2026 spring season.

The SUNY Spring Scholar Athlete Awards recognizes 25 student-athletes from SUNY colleges and universities sponsoring intercollegiate athletics at the four and two-year levels who were nominated and voted upon by representatives of their respective institutions. Nominating information includes cumulative grade point average, current and career statistics, and athletic and academic honors.

More than 14,000 student-athletes compete at SUNY institutions representing 53 different colleges and universities at the NCAA Division I, NCAA Division III/USCAA and NJCAA levels and are eligible for the awards — but two Hawks took home the coveted award for their respective spring sports. 

Kelsey O' Brien (senior, softball) was named to the 2026 Softball All-SUNYAC First Team and All-Region III First Team. O'Brien started in 41 of the 41 games played. The captain from Monroe, NY finished among the teams' leaders, ranking third in at bats (125), second in runs (37) and second in hits (53). She added 11 extra base hits, three home runs, and 15 walks with 91 total bases. 

She was second in RBIs with 30. O'Brien batted .424 with a .497 on-base percentage, .616 slugging percentage and a 1.113 OPS. She earned her season high of four hits on April 23 against Canton and her season high of most home runs (2) and doubles (2) on April 4 against Buffalo State. Defensively, she was third in catches with 86 and 85 putouts.

O'Brien graduated with a 3.83 overall GPA as a mathematics and MAT adolescent education major. She also earned a spot on the Hawks Academic Honor Roll for the Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 semester and etched her name on the SUNY New Paltz 2026 Leadership Wall. O'Brien earned a spot on the SUNYAC Commissioner's Academic Honor-Roll in her final year as well.

Alexis Atwater (senior, women's lacrosse) was a major part of the Hawk's Women's Lacrosse program's success this past season. The captain from Brighton, NY was named to the 2026 All-Empire Region Second Team, was 2026 SUNYAC Attacker of the Year and All-SUNYAC First Team. Atwater won SUNYAC Offensive Player of the Week the week of February 23 and started in 17 of the 18 games played. She lead the team with 73 goals, becoming the programs all-time single season goal leader and second in the program for all time goals with 209. 

Alexis was fourth in assists with 13 and first in points with 86, becoming second in the program for single season points and second in the program for all time points with 237. She lead the team in draw controls with 61, becoming sixth in the program's all time draw controls with 157. Atwater was third in ground balls with 38 and tallied 10 caused turnovers. She earned her season high of 11 points with eight goals and three assists, against Plattsburgh on April 15. 

Atwater graduated with a degree in psychology with a disaster studies minor. She maintained a 3.97 overall GPA while earning a spot on the Hawks Academic Honor Roll for the Fall 2025 semester and being named to the SUNY New Paltz 2026 Leadership Wall.

See the official SUNY press release by clicking here. 
 
********************
To stay up to date with everything #NPHawks be sure to follow us on Twitter at @nphawks, Instagram and Facebook at @newpaltzhawks, and subscribe to our Youtube channel, New Paltz Hawks.