Portale Named Female Senior Scholar Athlete of the Year
TOWSON, Md. - Sydney Portale of Susquehanna University was selected as the Landmark Conference Female Senior Scholar Athlete of the Year.
This is a new honor given by the Landmark Conference as the winner of the Senior Scholar Athlete from each sport is considered for the overall award which is given to one male and one female recipient. Portale will now be considered for the Division III Commissioners Association National Scholar Athlete of the Year.
Portale graduated SU with a 3.78 cumulative grade point average as an Advertising & Marketing major and Broadcasting minor. She made the Dean's List every semester of her academic career while being named to three Landmark Fall Academic Honor Rolls (2018, 2019, 2020), one Landmark Winter Academic Honor Roll (2019), and one Landmark Spring Academic Honor Roll (2019).
She was a member of Alpha Lambda Delta, a national honor society that recognizes first-year students with outstanding records, and served as President of the Student Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC) while being actively involved with Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
The 6-0 right-side hitter earned American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-America honors and was named the AVCA East Region Player of the Year in 2019. She was selected as the 2019 Landmark Player of the Year as well. Portale wrapped up her Landmark career as a three-time All-Landmark selection, including First Team honors as a junior.
Portale notched 1,126.5 points, 1,020 kills, and 206 total blocks during her three years as a River Hawk. She’ll be using her final year of athletic eligibility at Johns Hopkins University next year as she pursues her master’s.
Susquehanna amassed 77 wins, advanced to the Landmark Conference Championship match in 2018 and 2019, and made an appearance in the second round of the 2019 NCAA Division III Volleyball Championship Tournament with Portale’s leadership and play on the court.