General | 7/27/2022 9:56:39 AM
Sydney Przygoda, a four-year member of the Utica University women’s basketball team was named the 2021-22 Empire 8 Conference Co-Woman of the Year. This award honors a senior female student-athlete who has distinguished herself throughout her collegiate career in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership.
Przygoda is the third student-athlete from Utica chosen as the conference’s Woman of the Year.
A four-year forward on the women’s basketball team, Przygoda recently graduated summa cum laude with a cumulative grade-point average of 3.93 as a psychology major.
Przygoda enjoyed an excellent 2021-22 season, earning WBCA Division III Honorable Mention All-American honors in addition to garnering All-Empire 8 first team accolades for the second time. Przygoda finished second in the league in scoring, averaging 15.4 points and led the league in rebounding with 10.5 caroms per contest despite suffering a season-ending injury that caused her to miss Utica’s final six games. She helped lead Utica to a 19-7 record in 2021-22, including a program-record 12-game winning streak to start the season. Przygoda capped off her collegiate career by earning’s Utica’s prestigious Jim “Doc” Spartano Outstanding Senior Student-Athlete Award.
“It is such an incredible honor to be recognized with this award,” said Przygoda. “When I started at Utica, I did not expect to have the career I did, and it would not have been possible without the support from my teammates, coaches and family. I am very grateful to have been a part of the Utica women’s basketball program and I am appreciative of the role it has had on helping me become who I am today.”
In three seasons of play, Przygoda scored 1,140 points in just 71 career games, averaging 16.1 points per game to go along with 11.2 rebounds per game (792 total rebounds). She was a career 53.2 percent shooter from the floor and recorded 39 double-doubles. Przygoda earned All-Empire 8 second team honors as a first-year student-athlete in 2018-19 and first team accolades in both 2019-20 and 2021-22. She was also an eight-time E8 Player of the Week and five-time E8 Rookie of the Week despite having the 2020-21 season wiped out due to COVID-19.
“It’s been an honor to coach Sydney throughout her career,” said Utica Head Women’s Basketball Coach and Senior Woman Administrator Michele Davis. “This award is the culmination of her accomplishments on the court, in the classroom and within the community during her time at Utica. Sydney is an exemplary woman and one that has represented herself and the University in the best way possible. I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to watch Sydney grow into the student-athlete, and person whom every coach dreams of having the opportunity to coach.”
Academically, Przygoda earned Dean's List and High Honors accolades in each of her semesters at Utica, while earning numerous Empire 8 President’s List honors eight times. In 2022, Przygoda presented at the Eastern Psychological Association Conference on
The Relationships Between Central Human Capabilities and Psychological Well-Being.
Off the court, Przygoda shined as a member of the Utica University community. She served as a Student-Athlete Advisory Committee member, was Vice President for Utica’s Psychology Society and a member of the institution’s Return to Campus Task Force in 2021, dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, Przygoda volunteered for the Utica Mayor’s Sweep, Club 21 which raised awareness for children with down syndrome and was a Pioneer Pitch-In Mentor.
"Sydney is a tremendous basketball player but more importantly an outstanding student and person,” said Utica Director of Athletics Dave Fontaine. “She is a true leader that has taken an active role in our Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and has been a valued resource for me when I have inquired about the health and well-being of our students as we navigated a pandemic. When I think of the type of student that I would want to represent Utica University, Sydney Pryzgoda immediately comes to mind. We are very proud of Sydney for earning this prestigious Empire 8 honor and wish her many more successes."
Przygoda began her collegiate career by enjoying an excellent freshman season in 2018-19, averaging 14.3 points and 11.9 rebounds per game, while shooting 50 percent from the floor to earn All-E8 second team plaudits. She enjoyed an even better season as a sophomore in 2019-20, leading the league in scoring, averaging 18.3 points per game, while shooting a league-best 56.3 percent from the floor. Her field goal percentage was tied for 16th highest in all of Division III. Przygoda pulled down 10.9 rebounds per game in 2019-20 which was also among the national leaders. She helped lead the Pioneers to 15 wins and a berth in the E8 Semifinals, while earning All-Empire 8 first team honors.
Sydney embodies all that it means to be an Empire 8 and Division III student-athlete,” said Empire 8 Commissioner Chuck Mitrano. “Not only did Sydney excel at her sport and in the classroom but she also engaged in other tremendously enriching experiences and service to others to make a difference in her community. She is most deserving of this honor.
Pryzgoda is one of 151 conference selections forwarded to the national NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee. She joins an elite group of student-athletes from across NCAA Division I, II and III nominated for the award.
Established in 1991, the award recognizes female student-athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves in their community, in athletics and in academics throughout their college careers.
As 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of Title IX, the NCAA Woman of the Year program is an important opportunity to honor and reflect on the impact of women on intercollegiate sports.
The committee will choose the top ten nominees in each division (I, II and III). From among those 30 honorees, the selection committee will determine the top three in each division. From those nine, the 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year will be chosen.
Przygoda and fellow co-winner Eliza Beaudin of Elmira College led a strong contingent of six outstanding nominees considered by the Empire 8 Woman of the Year Committee:
2021-22 Empire 8 Female Senior Scholar Athlete of the Year Finalists
Ashley Depatto-Lugo, Alfred University
Eliza Beaudin, Elmira College
Hannah Haskell, Houghton College
Renee Vito, Keuka College
Taylor Dicranian, Russell Sage College
Sydney Przygoda, Utica College
For more information on the NCAA Woman of the Year,
CLICK HERE.
Past E8 Woman of the Year
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit
www.empire8.com.
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