April 22, 2026

Five SUNYAC Student-Athletes Honored by SUNY

Five SUNYAC student-athletes are part of more than 20 student-athletes who are being honored with the SUNY Scholar Athlete of the Year Awards for combining academic achievement with success in the arena of athletic competition during the 2025-26 winter season.

The SUNY Winter Scholar Athlete Awards recognizes 24 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.

Nominating information includes cumulative grade point average, current and career statistics, and athletic and academic honors.

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.

The Fall Scholar Athletes of the Year were announced in January and the spring winners will be released in June. The overall male and female Scholar Athletes of the Year in each division will be announced in July. Student-athletes will receive photo plaques commemorating their accomplishments.

Men's Basketball - Kendall Arcuri, Cortland

Arcuri was named NABC second team All-District, third team All-Region 3, and first team All-SUNYAC this season. He averaged 13.2 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in 25 games. Arcurci reached the career 1,000-point mark this season and will graduate with 1,249 career points. The forward helped Cortland win its first SUNYAC regular-season title since 2013, then repeat as SUNYAC champions and advance to the NCAA second round. The team ended its 2025-26 campaign 24-5 overall.

Arcuri is a senior physical education major holding a 3.48 overall GPA. He is a two-time SUNYAC Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll member. Arcuri was honored as the 2026 SUNYAC Men's Basketball Scholar Athlete of the Year as well.

Women's Basketball - Joleen Lusk, Cortland

A first team All-SUNYAC honoree, Lusk led Cortland with 11.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.7 blocked shots per game in 27 starts. On this momentum, Lusk helped Cortland finish tied for first place after regular season conference play (17-1) and then finish second in the SUNYAC tournament. The team received an at-large berth into the NCAA Division III tournament. Lusk was named to the D3hoops.com All-Region third team.

Lusk is a junior exercise science major with a 3.98 overall GPA. She earned CSC Academic All-District honors this year. She was named to the Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll at the end of the 2024-25 academic year. Lusk was also tabbed the 2026 SUNYAC Women's Basketball Scholar Athlete of the Year.

Women's Ice Hockey - Katie Mahoney, Cortland

Mahoney was named as Cortland's first-ever women's ice hockey player to make the 2025-26 CCM Hockey/AHCA Division III Women's All-American Hockey Team, earning East Second Team honors. Mahoney was named the SUNYAC player of the year after helping the Red Dragons finish 16-8-4 and advance to the SUNYAC championship game. This season, she appeared in 28 games where she tallied 31 points with 11 goals and 21 assists. Mahoney also won 61% of her faceoffs, led the SUNYAC in points scored, and tied 18th nationally in assists per game on the season. She had nine blocked shots and scored two game-winning goals.

Mahoney is a junior exercise science major with a 3.93 overall GPA. She is a two-time SUNYAC Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll member. Last season she was a Krampade/AHCA All-American Scholar. Mahoney was also named the 2026 SUNYAC Women's Ice Hockey Scholar Athlete of the Year.

Men's Indoor Track & Field - Isaiah Brunache, Cortland

In 2026 Brunache earned First Team All-American in both the weight throw (5th place) and the shot put (7th place) at the NCAA Division III Championships. He was the USTFCCCA Niagara Region Men's Indoor Field Athlete of the Year, AARTFC champion in the weight throw and shot put, and All-Niagara Region in both events as well. This season, Brunache was also the SUNYAC weight throw and shot put champion, SUNYAC Men's Indoor Field Athlete of the Year, and SUNYAC Men's Championship Performer of the Meet. He set a school record in the weight throw at the SUNYAC Championships (19.85 meters/65' 1.5") and helped the Red Dragons win the 2026 title and finish eighteen nationally.

Brunache is a senior majoring in exercise science maintaining a 3.92 overall GPA. He was named to the SUNYAC Commissioner's Honor Roll the last three years. Brunache was recently named the 2026 SUNYAC Men's Outdoor Track and Field Scholar Athlete of the Year as well.

Men's Wrestling - Angelo Centrone, Cortland
Centrone was an All-American at 149 pounds with a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Division III Championships this season. He was the NCAA Region 2 champion at 149 pounds as well as the SUNYAC champion at 149 pounds. Centrone finished the season with a 20-3 record with five pins, seven technical falls and five major decisions. He ended his career with a record of 98-12 and was the national runner-up at 149 pounds as a junior in 2025.

Centrone is a physical education major at Cortland with a overall GPA of 3.35.