May 14, 2009
CLEVELAND – For the first time in the history of the National Alliance of Two Year College Athletic Administrators (NATYCAA) Scholar-Athlete Award sponsored by Summit America Insurance/NACDA Insurance Division, co-recipients were selected on the women’s side. Heather DiCrescenzo of Gloucester County College and Lauren Penc of Mohawk Valley Community College were selected as the female scholar-athletes of the year, while David Hernandez of Santa Rosa Junior College was chosen as the male scholar-athlete of the year as announced today.
DiCrescenzo, also a perfect 4.00 student-athlete, is majoring in health, physical education & recreation and plans on pursuing her academic and athletic endeavors at the College of New Jersey. DiCrescenzo was a two-time Region XIX champion and a two-time NJCAA All-American in cross country. During outdoor track season, DiCrescenzo set the school record in the 5,000-meter run and led her team to a fourth place finish at the 2008 NJCAA Division III National Championships. This year, DiCrescenzo led her team to another fourth place finish at nationals and earned All-America honors in the 10,000-meter run. Aside from running, DiCrescenzo is actively engaged in community projects and helped the college raise several hundred dollars for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. She is a member of Phi Theta Kappa and was named to the NJCAA Academic Team of the Year in both cross country and track and field.
Penc, a perfect 4.00 liberal arts and science major, participates in cross country and both indoor and outdoor track and field. In cross country, Penc led the squad to both Conference and Regional Championships and its ninth National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) National Championship. She earned All-Conference and All-Region honors. During the indoor season, Penc was the Regional champion in the 200 and 600-meter runs, while also participating on the distance medley relay team. During the 2008 outdoor season, Penc helped lead the squad to the NJCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field National Championship, while also being a member of the national champion 4x800-meter relay team. When not running, Penc serves as a peer tutor and has received the prestigious SUNY Chancellor’s Award. She plans on attending Utica College to continue her academic and athletics pursuits.
Hernandez also maintained a 4.00 grade point average in kinesiology, while competing on the swim team. Hernandez was a state qualifier and finalist while serving as team captain this past year. He ranks in the college’s top-10 in numerous events and garnered All-American recognition in the 100 and 200 butterfly events, the 200 freestyle relay and the 200 and 400 medley relays. Hernandez is a Doyle Scholarship recipient and was on the President’s List and a Commitment to Excellence Award winner each of his four semesters. He was honored by the Santa Rosa East Rotary Club as their 2009 Outstanding Student Award winner. Hernandez plans on continuing his collegiate career at the University of the Pacific.
About NATYCAA: Now in its 22nd year, NATYCAA is the professional organization of two year college athletics administrators and membership is open to all two year institutions from throughout the country. For more information on NATYCAA, please visit www.natycaa.com. NATYCAA is administered by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), which is in its 44th year. For more information on NACDA and the 11 professional associations that fall under its umbrella, please visit www.nacda.com.
