Three Bulls Earn SUNY Winter Athlete of the Year Honors
4/19/2024 11:00:00 AM | Track and Field, Women's Basketball, Swimming and Diving, Office of Student-Athlete Success
BUFFALO, NY – University at Buffalo women's basketball senior guard Rana Elhusseini, junior diver Marialis Kwak and senior distance runner Ryan Buzby are among 21 student-athletes being recognized with the SUNY Winter Scholar Athlete of the Year Awards for combining academic achievement with success in the arena of athletic competition during the 2023-24 winter season.
SUNY honors student-athletes from SUNY colleges and universities sponsoring intercollegiate athletics at the four- and two-year levels who were nominated and voted upon by representatives of their respective institutions.
Nominating information includes cumulative grade point average, current and career statistics, and athletic and academic honors.
Elhusseini made a huge impact in her lone season in Buffalo. The Dearborn, MI native averaged 9.1 points and 5.7 rebounds per game while also leading the team in assists (114), steals (49) and free throw percentage (.878) to lead the Bulls to the Mid-American Conference Tournament championship game where she earned All-Tournament honors after a stellar week in Cleveland. She made history in February as she recorded just the third triple-double in school history in Buffalo's win over Southern Miss. For her career, she has amassed over 1,400 points, 550 rebounds and 450 assists. Off the court, Elhusseini earned Academic All-District honors for the first time in her career. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in exercise science with a 3.875 overall GPA and currently pursuing a master's in public health.
Kwak, a junior chemical engineering major with a 3.78 overall GPA, was named the MAC Women's Diver of the Year, earned First-Team All-MAC honors, won gold in both the one-meter and three-meter events at MAC Championships and was an NCAA National Championship qualifier in both events. The junior also posted a career-best score in the one-meter dive of 313.00, a mark that ranks third in program history. Over her decorated career, Kwak has been a two-time MAC Women's Diver of the Year, Freshman Diver of the Year, a two-time First Team All-MAC honoree, two-time NCAA championship qualifier and two-time Academic All-MAC recipient.
A biological sciences major with a 3.97 GPA, Buzby had a historic indoor season. The fifth year was the MAC indoor champion in the 5,000 meter run and a silver medalist in the 3,000 meter run. The performance at conference championships earned Buzby First Team All-MAC honors. Throughout the indoor season, the fifth year broke three school records during the indoor season, in the mile (4:05.23), the 3,000 meter (8:08.26) and the 5,000 meter (13:57.74). Buzby also earned MAC Scholar Athlete of the Week honors twice during the indoor season. He was also a bronze medalist in the 5,000 meter run during the 2023 Indoor MAC Championships and is a two-time Indoor and Outdoor Academic All-MAC Team selection.
More than 14,000 student-athletes compete at SUNY institutions representing 53 different colleges and universities at the NCAA Division I, NCAA Division III/USCAA and NJCAA levels and are eligible for the awards.
The four NCAA Division I member institutions that comprise the NCAA Division I Category for the SUNY Scholar Athlete Awards include University at Albany, Binghamton, University at Buffalo and Stony Brook, while 19 institutions make up the NCAA Division III/USCAA Category and include Alfred State, Brockport, Buffalo State, Canton, Cobleskill, Cortland, Delhi, Farmingdale, Fredonia, Geneseo, Maritime, Morrisville, New Paltz, Old Westbury, Oneonta, Oswego, Plattsburgh, Potsdam and SUNY Poly.
