ALBANY, N.Y. – Stony Brook softball sophomore Alyssa Costello is accumulating more attention for her performance in the classroom this year by claiming the prestigious 2022-2023 SUNY Scholar Athlete of the Year honor as announced this morning by Chancellor John B. King, Jr., from the SUNY System in Albany, N.Y. 

"Alyssa is an incredibly driven young woman who represents the very best of Stony Brook as both a student and as an athlete. She continues to make a significant impact on our department, and I can't think of anyone who is more deserving of this prestigious honor," said Stony Brook Director of Athletics Shawn Heilbron. 

Costello was one of six student-athletes and one of two Division I 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 members from the governing board.

The outfielder was chosen out of 70 student-athletes and was one of the 70 that were recognized by SUNY as Scholar Athletes in their respective sport during the 2022-23 academic year. Nominating information includes cumulative grade point average, current and career statistics, and athletic and academic honors.

This year, Costello maintained a cumulative 3.8 GPA while pursuing her major in biology. Also, she was one of two Stony Brook student-athletes to earn the SUNY Spring Scholar Athlete of the Year honors.

"This is an exceptional award for an exceptional student-athlete. Alyssa's ability to excel at such a high level in the classroom and on the field is incredible. She strives to be at her best in all that she does, and is a great teammate and competitor. We are so proud of Alyssa, and how she represents our University, Stony Brook Athletics, and Seawolves Softball," said softball head coach Megan Bryant. 

The native of  Lanoka Harbor, N.J., had an historic year for the Seawolves. She was selected to the All-Conference First Team, CAA Softball All-Tournament Team, NFCA Division I All-Region Team, and earned CAA Player of the Week recognitions. Costello had the fourth-most hits and the sixth-best batting average by any player in any season in program history. Also, she ranked at top of CAA in batting average and ranked top-five in several offensive categories such as second in slugging percentage, fourth in RBI, and hits.

Costello led the Seawolves to victories over No. 1 Delaware, No. 2 UNCW, No. 4 Elon, and No. 6 Charleston in the CAA Tournament after shattering the CAA Tournament record for hits, totaling 12 over six games during the week. She concluded her year with a 24-game hitting streak which was the longest on the team and the longest streak in the CAA this season.

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.

For an inside look at the Stony Brook softball program, be sure to follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
 
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.