Varsity athletes from the New Paltz Central School District are making impressive scores on the playing field and in the classroom. The New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) has announced its Winter 2022-2023 Scholar-Athlete and Scholar-Athlete Team designations, with an impressive performance by New Paltz Winter teams having a noteworthy presence on the prestigious lists.  

NYSPHSAA is in its 31st year of designating scholar-athletes. To qualify for the individual scholar-athlete award, students must earn a grade point average (GPA) of 90 percent or higher. For a team to receive the scholar-athlete team award, 75 percent of the team’s roster must have attained a GPA of 90 percent or above. 

New Paltz Health, Physical Education, and Athletics Director Gregory Warren said a lot of work and effort goes into maintaining a high GPA while playing a sport. “We are very proud of how much work our student-athletes put in to maintain their grades while participating in sports,” he said. “Many of our players also participate in extracurricular activities and/or have after school jobs. Determination, dedication, and balance are required to meet the demands of academic and athletic excellence.” Congratulations to the following students and teams:

Winter 2022-2023 Scholar-Athlete Team Averages:  

Varsity Boys Basketball – 90.82 

Varsity Girls Basketball – 94.99 

Varsity Gymnastics – 92.50 

Varsity Boys Indoor Track and Field – 92.63 

Varsity Girls Indoor Track and Field – 92.79 

Varsity Boys Nordic Ski – 93.99 

Varsity Girls Nordic Ski – 96.52 

Overall GPA – 91.68 

Winter 2022-2023 Scholar-Athlete Individuals:  

Unified Bowling – Arianna Phillips, Kaitlyn Rigby 

Varsity Boys Basketball – Pierce Lutz, Michael Lynn, Rowan Santos, Savino Ventura 

Varsity Girls Basketball – Bella Gambino, Avery Greger, Melanie Kniffen, Gabriella Lutz, Kalle Masseo, Soleil Miller, Molly Saunders, Lily Sturgis, Kate Suchowiecki, Annika Walsh 

Varsity Gymnastics – Claire Coiteux 

Varsity Boys Indoor Track and Field – Michael Ayala, Samuel DePoala, Peter Dillehay, Mason Eyler, Landon Fracasse, Finn Gibson, Maxwell Hawkins, Jude Herman, Chace Snyder, Kian Walsh 

Varsity Girls Indoor Track and Field – Kylie Ayala, Sofia Carucci, Bebe Cosgrove, Margaret DiDonna, Marin DiDonna, Taishan Fontes-Janusz, Bailey Kane, Esme Keon, Veda Keon, Adelynn Laurie, Clio Miller 

Varsity Boys Nordic Ski – Beckett Evans, Samuel Hollman, Matei Jirka, Nathaniel Johnson, Gray Lobell, Shane Yess 

Varsity Girls Nordic Ski – Shelby De Jong, Roxanne DeNey-Bhagat, Maeve Eisenhandler, Hannah Ettinger, Alexa Friedman, Aurora Gerber, Eva Goldschein, Mary McIntyre, Nina Rogers 

Varsity Boys Swim – Jules Branitz, Campbell Heiz, Cole Mumford, Koby Wulfmeyer, Eli Yastion 

Varsity Wrestling – Joseph Birnbaum, Justin Coiteux, Colin Curley, Bilal Mehrzad, Mehran Mehrzad, Norah Nielson