The State University of New York Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher, recently announced the winners of the 2012-13 Scholar Athlete Award, which recognizes academic excellence and outstanding athletic achievement at the Division I, III and NJCAA levels. More than 65 student-athletes from across the SUNY System were honored, including Morrisville State sophomore student-athlete Amanda Hunt (Tunkhannock, Pa.) who was selected as the recipient of this distinguished honor for Division III women’s cross country.
“These outstanding students are SUNY champions not only in their chosen sports but also in our classrooms, with an average GPA of 3.59 among them,” said SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher. “Congratulations to this year’s honorees, to the professors and coaches who mentored them, and to the many faculty and staff on our campuses across the state who supported them.”
In order to be considered for this award, student-athletes were nominated by their campus athletic director. Nominees’ academic credentials and athletic accomplishments were then reviewed by a panel of athletic directors from across the State University system and members of the provost’s office.
Hunt has excelled on and off the field as a student-athlete at Morrisville State, appearing on either the President’s List or Dean’s List in each semester while sporting a 3.89 GPA, earning North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) Scholar-Athlete honors in 2012.
She was also invited this spring to become a member of Phi Theta Kappa, the college’s honor society.
The two-time captain for the women’s cross country team has garnered numerous accolades in just two years of competition for Morrisville State, including NEAC Athlete of the Week honors, and receiving All-Conference first team honors twice, finishing in the top five at the NEAC Championships each year.
The sophomore is also a member of the western equestrian riding team at Morrisville State in the intermediate II western horsemanship class.
Hunt is a graduate of Tunkhannock Area High School and is majoring in equine science and management at Morrisville State College. She is the daughter of Susan and Tom Hunt of Tunkhannock.