ALBANY, N.Y. – Two Stony Brook Seawolves have earned Spring SUNY Scholar Athlete of the Year honors as announced by Chancellor John B. King, Jr., from the SUNY System in Albany, N.Y. Softball's Alyssa Costello and tennis' Chandrika Joshi have claimed the prestigious honor, respectively, for their excellence in athletics and academics.
 
The Spring SUNY Scholar Athlete Awards recognized 27 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.
 
Costello earned CAA Player of the Week honors, was tabbed to the All-Conference First Team, was a member of the CAA Softball All-Tournament Team, and was selected to the NFCA Division I All-Region Team. The outfielder dominated at the plate in the Seawolves' first season in the CAA. She led the conference in batting average (.405) and ranked top-five in several offensive categories such as second in slugging percentage (.671), fourth in RBI (38) and hits (68). Also, she was fifth in doubles (13), runs (38), and home runs (9). In the Stony Brook record book, Costello had one of the most memorable seasons that any Seawolf has had. Her 68 hits were the fourth-most in program history and her .405 average was the sixth-best by any player in any season in program history.
 
"Congratulations to Alyssa on this special and well-deserved honor! Alyssa exemplifies the very best of the term Scholar Athlete by her commitment to excellence in the classroom and on the playing field. Her positive self-expectancy and skill set allows her to achieve at an exceptional level. We are so proud of her!" Said Stony Brook softball head coach Megan T. Bryant.
 
During their run in the 2023 CAA Tournament that knocked off No. 1 Delaware, No. 2 UNCW, No. 4 Elon, and No. 6 Charleston, Costello set the CAA Tournament record for hits, totaling 12 over six games during the week. The outfielder hit .571 (12-21) for the tournament, matching the tournament record with eight runs scored while adding four RBI. She ended her season with a 24-game hitting streak which is the longest on the team and was the longest streak in the CAA this season. Costello also led the team with 19 multi-hit games and 11 multi-RBI performances. Costello is a sophomore biology major with a 3.82 overall GPA.
 
After finishing her 2021-22 season with a 15-27 record as a sophomore, Joshi bounced back this season by leading the team in total victories (22), singles wins (13), and winning percentage this season by going 22-15 overall (59.5%). During the spring, the CAA Honor Roll recipient dominated her opponents as she won at least four-straight matches on two different occasions. From February 25-March 17, the native of India earned five consecutive victories against Seton Hall, Monmouth, Rhode Island, Bryant, and Towson.
 
"This award is richly deserved. Chandrika is a standout on and off the court. She is the type of person, student, and player who every coach and athletic department would love to have. Chandrika sets the bar for her teammates and all of those around her," said Stony Brook tennis head coach Gary Glassman.
 
To end the season, Joshi earned four-straight victories against Wagner, Sacred Heart, Hofstra, and Binghamton from April 1-16. In CAA play this season, the junior went 3-1 with wins over Towson, Monmouth, and Hofstra. Joshi is a business major with a 3.89 overall GPA.
 
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.
 
About Stony Brook Athletics:
Stony Brook University's Athletics Department sponsors 18 varsity intercollegiate athletic programs that compete at the NCAA Division I level. Their world-class facilities include the 12,300-seat Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium, and a sports complex housing the 4,000-seat Island Federal Arena, which opened in the Fall of 2014. All of Stony Brook's men's and women's programs offer athletic scholarships. For more information about the Stony Brook Seawolves, visit stonybrookathletics.com.
 
About the State University of New York:
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY's 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the state's only college of optometry, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.3 million students amongst its entire portfolio of credit- and non-credit bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.1 billion in fiscal year 2021, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and one in three New Yorkers with a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunity, visit suny.edu.