Dover, Millbrook scholar-athletes honored for feats in fall of 2021

NEW YORK STATE — In recognition of their hard work in balancing their athletics with their academics, some hard-working athletes enrolled at Dover High School and Millbrook High School were among the students and teams featured on the New York State Public High School Athletic Association’s (NYSPHSAA) list of Fall 2021 Scholar-Athletes noted for their outstanding accomplishments last year.

NYSPHSAA released its list of selected Fall 2021 Scholar-Athlete teams and scholar-athletes at year’s end, on Dec. 13. As its website, www.nysphsaa.org, explains, the organization honors sports teams and student athletes that excel in the classroom at the end of each sports season.

To qualify for Scholar-Athlete team recognition, the team’s average grade-point average (GPA) for 75% of its roster must be greater than or equal to 90 — which means the team would take 75% of its roster and then average the GPAs.

Additionally, even if a team doesn’t meet the Scholar-Athlete team criteria, the student athletes on the team who have a GPA of 90 or higher are still eligible to be considered Individual Scholar-Athletes.

According to the association, 2021 marked its 30th year conducting the Scholar-Athlete program, and a total of 625 schools across New York State participated in it. Out of those schools, the association recognized a total of 3,825 Scholar-Athlete teams and 48,023 individual scholar-athletes.

Featured on the list of Fall 2021 Scholar-Athlete teams, the Dover High School Dragons were honored for its boys cross-country team, football team (which merged with Millbrook High School), game day cheer team, girls cross-country, girls soccer and girls volleyball.

The Millbrook High School Blazers also made the Scholar-Athlete team list with its boys cross-country team, boys golf team, boys soccer team, girls cross-country team, girls soccer team and girls volleyball team.

For the number of individuals recognized as Scholar-Athletes per team, Dover High School had five student athletes on its boys cross-country team; 10 student athletes on its football team; six student athletes on its game day cheer team; two student athletes on its girls cross-country team; and 13 student athletes on both its girls soccer team and girls volleyball team.

Millbrook had four student athletes recognized on its boys cross-country team; three student athletes on its boys golf team; 17 student athletes on its boys soccer team; seven student athletes on its girls cross-country team; 13 student athletes on its girls soccer team; and 17 student athletes on its girls volleyball team.

Reflecting on the how determined his young athletes were during the fall of 2021, Dover Director of Athletics Paul Kenny said, “With the added pressures of today’s society, to be able to be an athlete and maintain a high academic standard is an incredible feat, and these kids are doing a great job balancing school and athletics.”

Kenny also took into account the number of students who are balancing school and sports with part-time jobs and other responsibilities.

“They’re doing a great job being student athletes,” he said, commending them for working so hard on and off the field. “[They’re excelling] exactly [at] what the job description is: students and athletes.”

The winter 2021-22 Scholar-Athlete submission period will begin on Monday, Jan. 31; the deadline for submissions is Monday, March 14.

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