Great Danes Honored as America East Presidential Scholars
ALBANY, N.Y. (July 15, 2025) — A total of 11 University at Albany graduating seniors have been named America East Presidential Scholars. The award recognizes student-athletes who earned a cumulative GPA of 3.75 or higher and earned their undergraduate degree this year.
The 2024-25 UAlbany honorees include Chris Bertola (cross country/track and field), Floor de Ruiter (field hockey), Daniel Shannon (men's soccer), Kate Powers and Sara Anderson (softball), Leann Nicholas (track and field), Ali Heller and Haley Phalines (women's lacrosse), and Sthefany Carvalho, Shynelle Woroniuk and Kendall Harris (women's volleyball).
Bertola, of Orchard Park, N.Y., is a biology major who competed in both cross country and track and field.
De Ruiter, who is originally from Noordwijk, Netherlands, played four seasons of field hockey for the Great Danes and is a human biology major. As a sophomore, de Ruiter scored the game-tying goal in the Great Danes' upset of No. 4 Michigan in the first round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
Shannon, of New York, N.Y., played in seven games with six starts for the men's soccer team as a senior. He earned his degree in sociology in May.
Powers, of Hope Valley, Rhode Island, earned her degree in biology along with a minors in leadership and public health. A pitcher for the softball team, Powers finished in the top 10 in the league in complete games, shutouts, ERA and innings pitched as a junior.
Anderson, a human biology major from Poughkeepsie, N.Y., played the infield for Great Danes softball, where she earned all-rookie honors during the 2023 season and ranked in the top 50 in the United States of those toughest to strike out.
Nicholas, of Farmingdale, N.Y., majored in Spanish as well as interdisciplinary-biochemistry & molecular biology. She earned numerous indoor and outdoor honors in track and field and holds the University's record for indoor and outdoor triple jump.
Heller, of Bellmore, N.Y., majored in human development. She served as a defender on the women's lacrosse team, including the 2023 and 2025 squads that advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
An attacker for women's lacrosse, Phalines, of Woolwich Township, N.J., earned her degree in business administration. She started all 20 games in 2023 for the Great Danes as they beat No. 12 Virginia in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before losing to No. 5 Denver in the second round.
Carvalho, of Uberlândia, Brazil, finished fifth in the America East and first on the volleyball team with 3.40 digs per set as a junior. She earned her degree in business administration.
Woroniuk, of Red Deer, Alberta, Canada, finished sixth in the America East and first on the volleyball team with 3.11 kills per set in her junior year for the Great Danes. She majored in business administration.
Harris, of Houston, Texas, majored in biology. She finished in the top-10 in kills per set during her junior season at UAlbany and was second on the volleyball team in points per set, hitting percentage and block assists.
In addition to registering a 3.75 GPA for their college career, award winners must have received their undergraduate degree in the academic year in which they are honored and have attended their institution for a minimum of two years.
The Presidential Scholar-Athlete Award program started during 2013-14 academic year. More than 1,000 student-athletes have been honored as part of the program since its inception, including 130 this year.