Fredonia's Ethan Francis (Dunkirk/Dunkirk) was named the Student Athlete of the Year by the SUNYAC for men's cross country. The junior video production/political science major carries a 3.94 GPA during his career, including a 4.0 mark this past semester. Francis finished seventh at the conference championship meet, a feat that placed him in the SUNYAC Cross Country Hall of Fame. Francis then went on to earn NCAA Atlantic All-Region honors.
"Ethan has been a huge part of our distance programs," said head coach Tom Wilson. "He received Cross Country Hall of Fame recognition as a junior, is a two-time All Atlantic Regional finisher, and now Cross Country Student Athlete of the Year. He has been a pleasure to coach, a pleasure to watch develop, and I truly look forward to continuing to push him to achieve all his goals. I could not think of a better recipient for this award."
To be eligible for the SUNYAC Scholar Athlete of the Year award students must prove both academic and athletic excellence by obtaining a 3.30 overall GPA, by being a starter or significant reserve for their team, and they must be at least a sophomore.
Each season the State University of New York Athletic Conference honors Scholar Athletes of the Year not only for their effort on the field, but also for their effort in the classroom. Out of the hundreds of fall student-athletes that compete in the SUNYAC, seven were chosen for this special distinction.
Other sports recognized for the fall were men's soccer and women's cross country, soccer, volleyball, tennis and field hockey.
