Chiacchia sweeps SUNYAC tennis academic awards

Fredonia State's Jane Chiacchia has been named the 2021 SUNYAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year in Women's Tennis, her second academic award from the conference this spring.

A May 2021 graduate, Chiacchia received the SUNYAC Elite 20 Award in April for having the highest grade-point average among all conference tournament participants. The Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award, established in fall 2016, recognizes a student-athlete who has achieved academic and athletic excellence as a starter or significant reserve on their team.

Chiacchia served as captain and the Blue Devils' No 1 singles player and No. 1 doubles player this year. She graduated among team career leaders in several categories. In addition, she completed two degrees in three years -- Applied Mathematics and Exercise Science -- while earning a 4.0 grade-point average her senior year.

"Jane brought her love of academics to the courts everyday," Interim Head Coach Dave Kinkela said. "Before each practice, she talked about a problem she solved or project she was working on. Not only did she encourage members of the team to excel academically, but she often helped her teammates work through their assignments as well. Jane epitomizes the ideal of a student-athlete. For her, athletics and academics were never far apart." 

Chiacchia is the fifth Blue Devil to win a Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award -- and the second in two days. Collin Barmore, a sophomore, won the award in men's track and field on June 17. Other previous participants are Meghan Bartlett (women's swimming and diving, 2016-17), Ethan Francis (men's cross country, 2017), and Jacque Law (women's basketball, 2017-18).