Senior Nicole Cade, a starting pitcher for the softball team, was named the 2008 Empire 8 Senior Scholar-Athlete Award winner today. Senior cross country and track and field runner Michael Hoffman of Stevens Institute of Technology also received the award.

“Nicole and Michael represent the best of the Empire 8 and they are the embodiment of today’s student-athlete,” Empire 8 Commissioner Chuck Mitrano said in a press release on the Empire 8's website. “They excel in the classroom, on the playing surface, and in the community. As truly progressive and innovative leaders, we are proud to name them as recipients of our highest honor.”

The winners of the award, which honors those student-athletes who best exemplify what it means to be a dedicated scholar and athlete over the course of their four-year collegiate careers, are selected by by a committee made up of conference Faculty Athletic Representatives.