Cayuga’s Recio Named SUNY Scholar-Athlete

An award-laden freshman year continued for Cayuga Community College student-athlete Jeremy Recio when he was named a SUNY Scholar Athlete of the Year for his work in the classroom and on the field in the spring semester.

The Spartans' outfielder joined 27 other SUNY student-athletes who received the award this summer, which recognized students from two- and four-year institutions for academic and athletic success in the Spring 2025 semester. The SUNY honor comes on the heels of awards Recio received from Region III and the Mid-State Athletic Conference (MSAC) after a stellar first season with Cayuga Baseball.

Cayuga Athletic Director and Baseball Coach John Rizzo said Recio's commitment to excelling as a student and on the baseball diamond is the most any coach could ask of a student-athlete.

"Jeremy has a combination of tremendous ability and the strongest work ethic we have ever had in our program," said Rizzo. "He did everything this past season while maintaining an outstanding GPA. He's a humble, hard-working student who produces on the field and in class."

In the 2025 season, Recio batted .458 with 40 runs scored and 51 RBI, which earned him recognition as MSAC Player of the Year, as well as Region III First-Team and Region III All-East Division honors.

His success extended to the classroom, where he earned a 3.94 GPA in the spring. Recio, who majors in Liberal Arts and Sciences: Humanities & Social Sciences, finished his freshman year with a GPA of 3.76.

"Winning MSAC Player of the Year and the SUNY Scholar Athlete of the Year awards as a freshman mean everything to me," said Recio. "It is a reflection of all of the hard work, dedication and support from my teammates and coaches. I'm proud to represent Cayuga Community College and more motivated to keep pushing forward."

Recio is the second Cayuga student-athlete to earn the SUNY award for the 2024-25 academic year, with Class of 2025 graduate Tony Borges earning the award for the winter season as a member of the Men's Basketball team.

The SUNY Scholar Athlete of the Year Awards recognize academic and athletic accomplishment in 29 different sports, with students nominated based on grade point average, current and career statistics, and athletic and academic accolades. Representatives from participating institutions vote on recipients.

More than 14,000 student-athletes across 53 SUNY institutions participating in athletics at the NCAA Division I, NCAA Division III and NJCAA level are eligible for the SUNY Scholar Athlete of the Year Awards.