Three Herkimer College Students Awarded the SUNY Chancellor’s Scholar Athlete Award
Three Herkimer College student-athletes received the 2019 SUNY Chancellor’s Scholar Athlete Award recognizing a combination of outstanding academic excellence and superior athletic achievement. They were among only 24 recipients from 30 SUNY community colleges to receive the award this year.
Malerie Belles, of Clay, NY, is a 2019 graduate of the Fashion Buying and Merchandising program. Belles was selected for the award for track and field, but she was also a two-year cross country runner. She was the 2018 Region III champion in the high jump, heptathlon and 1600 meter relay. She went on to win a national championship in the high jump and was named All-American and USATF Field Athlete of the Year for 2018. This year, Belles won a regional championship in the high jump, triple jump, 400 and 3200 meter relays, giving her All-Region status in those events. She finished 4th in the high jump, 6th in the heptathlon and 9th in the triple jump at Nationals.
Men’s basketball standout Derrick Felder, of Yonkers, NY, helped the Generals to a national championship last month, the first national championship for the program since 1991. He received First Team All-American honors, and was named NJCAA Division III Player of the Year. He recorded an average 15.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 2.8 steals per game this season. Felder was selected by the NJCAA Men’s Basketball Coaches Association for the 2019 NJCAA Men’s Basketball Coaches All-Star Game presented by the NABC, in which he played alongside 12 other players on the Division III team in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 18th. Felder is a May 2019 graduate with an associate degree in General Studies.
Kali Puppolo, a social science major from Adams, Massachusetts. A pitcher for the lady generals, in 2018, she helped her team to a regional championship and to a runner up finish in the national championship. She was named first team All-Conference, first team All-Region, NFCA first team All-American and NJCAA first team All-American. Puppolo is graduating Summa Cum Laude, and has accepted an academic and athletic scholarship to attend division one Manhattan College in the fall.
“Malerie, Derrick and Kali are the ideal student-athletes. The dedication, pride and commitment to the institution are proven both in the classroom as well as on the playing fields,” said Athletic Director Donald Dutcher. “They are respected by their teammates, coaches and competitors in the highest magnitude and they are three of the most gifted student athletes to walk through the doors of Herkimer College.”
To be considered for this award, student-athletes had to be nominated by their athletic directors. Their academic credentials and athletic accomplishments were then reviewed by a panel of athletic directors from across the SUNY system and members of the SUNY Provost’s Office.