In January, the State University of New York Athletic Conference unveiled the Elite 20 Award to honor the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade point average competing at the finals site of each of its 20 championships.
Fredonia senior Leanne Hofstead (Liverpool, N.Y.) has won the award for SUNYAC women's tennis. A Psychology major with minors in Statistics and Sociology, Hofstead attained a 3.92 grade-point average last fall and carries a 3.85 cumulative average over seven semesters. She is a member of Alpha Lambda Delta Academic Honor Society, Psi Chi, Golden Key International Honour Society, the Wilderness Club, and the Ski and Ride Club, She also serves as a Psychology tutor in the Fredonia Learning Center and is assisting a Psychology professor with a research project Her parents are Kristy and Thomas Hofstead.
"This award," Fredonia women's head tennis coach Greg Catalano said, "exemplifies Leanne's journey through college. Her ability focus on the court and in the classroom lead to her success. She never missed a practice and took a leadership role in her senior year. It was tough to crack the starting line-up for her every match, though she managed to do so very often. When she didn't make the cut, she never complained (and) always showed class and grace toward the player that beat her out."
The SUNYAC Elite 20, an award modeled after the NCAA ELITE 90 program, recognizes the true essence of the student-athlete by honoring the individual who has reached the pinnacle of competition at the conference championship level in his or her sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among his or her peers.
