Smisdom Named Fall SUNY Scholar Athlete of the Year

UAlbany field hockey start Alison Smisdom moves the ball against Penn State in the NCAA Quarterfinals at the University of Michigan.
UAlbany's Alison Smisdom, a sophomore on the field hockey team, has been honored as one of seven SUNY Scholar Athletes of the Year for the Fall of 2022. (Photo by Jaime Dickinson / UAlbany Athletics)

ALBANY, N.Y. (Feb. 7, 2023) — UAlbany field hockey star Alison Smisdom has earned SUNY Scholar Athlete of the Year honors. The announcement, made Jan. 31 by State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr., included seven athletes from SUNY's Division I schools. Athletes were also honored in the NCAA Division III/USCAA category and NJCAA category.
 
Honored for combining academic achievement with success in the arena of athletic competition during the inaugural selection of the SUNY Scholar Athlete Awards, Smisdom was named the Division I At-Large SUNY Scholar Athlete of the Year.

A field hockey midfielder from Edegem, Belgium, Smisdom's SUNY award is the latest in a line of honors including NFHCA First Team All-America, NFHCA Northeast Player of the Year and America East Midfielder of the Year.
 
Smisdom finished the season in the top 15 of the nation in goals per game and points per game, leading the Great Danes with 15 goals and 39 points. Named NFHCA Northeast Regional Player of the Year and America East Midfielder of the Year, she led UAlbany to their first America East title since 2018, followed by an upset of No. 4 Michigan in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament.
 
Smisdom holds a 3.65 cumulative GPA as a business administration major. Twice a Dean's List honoree, the sophomore has been named to the conference's Academic Honor Roll as well as earning an All-Academic Team nod in 2022.
 
The Fall SUNY Scholar Athlete Awards recognized 21 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. Later this year, winter and spring sports winners will be chosen.
 
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.