Excelling On and Off the Field

By Justin Lutes, February 15, 2023

Scholar-athletes celebrated at annual luncheon.

Group shot of student athletes and faculty, board and admin members

A total of 63 student-athletes were recognized at the annual scholar-athlete luncheon, which was also attended by deans, student-athlete faculty advisors , and members of the Ithaca College Board of Trustees and administration.

(Photo by Bob Wagner)

The Ithaca College Department of Athletics in conjunction with the Office of the Provost, hosted its seventh annual scholar-athlete luncheon on Thursday, February 9. The luncheon was held in Emerson Suites, and celebrated the exceptional achievements of current junior, senior, and graduate student-athletes.

A total of 63 student-athletes from 21 of Ithaca's 27 sponsored varsity programs attended the ceremony. Each student-athlete at the luncheon had obtained a cumulative grade-point average of 3.75 or higher over at least five semesters. Deans and student-athlete faculty advisors were also in attendance, as were members of the Ithaca College Board of Trustees.

Recognizing Their Achievements

A full list of all student-athletes who were recognized at the luncheon can be seen here.

“One of the things I really admire about our athletics department is that the coaching staff really care about academics,” said Michael Johnson-Cramer, dean of the School of Business. “It’s a combination of success on the field and in the classroom.”

Erienne Roberts, deputy director of athletics and Barb Belyea '82, associate chair of physical therapy and faculty athletics representative, spearheaded the initiative to honor the student-athletes' performances in the classroom, and worked with the Office of the Provost along with President La Jerne Terry Cornish.

Chair of the Board of Trustees Dave Lissy ’87, with keynote speaker Cameryn Nichols ’23, and President La Jerne Terry Cornish.

Both Roberts and Belyea spoke at the luncheon, as did Associate Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Susan Bassett ’79, Chair of the Board of Trustees Dave Lissy ’87, and Provost Melanie Stein.

Lissy was grateful for the opportunity to take part in the event.

“One of the things we like to do is try to connect with students, faculty, and staff,” he said. “And at an event like this, you get to recognize student-athletes who’ve made an extraordinary effort both in the classroom and in their sport. It’s an honor and privilege to be here and celebrate and let them know how much we appreciate them and what they represent for Ithaca.

“When student-athletes choose a D-III school like Ithaca, most of them aren’t going to become a professional in athletics,” he continued “They’re coming because they love the sport, but they also want to take advantage of everything Ithaca College has to offer academically. It says a lot when you succeed at both.”

“We’ve had scholar-athletes before, we’ll have them in the future, but you are a unique group for what you have persevered through and for your resilience.”

Associate Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Susan Bassett ’79

Cameryn Nichols ’23 served as the keynote speaker. Nichols has been a four-year member of the gymnastics team and delivered remarks that focused on resiliency and bouncing back from struggles, which resonated with the entire crowd as the scholar-athletes in attendance all dealt with canceled seasons during their careers at IC due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The resiliency of the student-athletes was also recognized by Bassett when she addressed the assembled student-athletes.

“I love you. I love what you do, I love the passion you bring,” she said. “We are enormously proud of you and what you’ve achieved. You are scholar-athletes with a star next to your name. You’ve been impacted by this global pandemic and had seasons canceled. You had to work remotely both academically and athletically … We’ve had scholar-athletes before, we’ll have them in the future, but you are a unique group for what you have persevered through and for your resilience.”

Laura Ilioaei ’23 contributed reporting to this story