Heather Schmidt, a senior at Niskayuna High School, has been named as one of the 10 scholastic award recipients for 2022 by the Capital District Sports Women of the Year organization.
Heather, who competes in basketball and crew, will be recognized at the Capital District Sports Women of the Year Awards Gala on Monday, August 8 at 7 p.m. at the GE Theatre at Proctors in Schenectady.
The Capital District Sports Women of the Year organization (CDSWOY) honors the best and brightest female student athletes from high schools and colleges in the Capital District of New York State. The student-athletes will be recognized for their achievements in academics, athletics, and community service. More information is provided at the website: cdswoy.com.
Academically, Heather was selected as an NHSCA (National High School Coaches Association) Academic All-American, the only student selected from New York State. She recorded a 96.791 percent GPA. With the RIT Project Lead the Way, she studied Intro to Engineering Design, Principles of Engineering and Computer Integrated Manufacturing. She was in the top five percent of the graduating class. Heather is a National Honor Society member, took all AP and Honors level classes and took two languages, Latin and German.
Athletically, Heather was a three-year starter on the Niskayuna varsity girls basketball team. She served as captain at each level and was the Varsity Captain for two seasons. She was a Section 2 Scholar Athlete Award recipient. In crew in 2021, she was the State Scholastic Champion in W2x (women’s double) and W1x (women’s single) and was the Stotesbury Cup Champion and SRAA National Champion in W2x held in Philadelphia. Heather was the Youth National runner up in W2x in Sarasota, Florida. She was a u19 (junior) National Team member and competed in u19W4x (under 19 women’s quad) in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, becoming the first Niskayuna female student to ever make the national team. Heather placed sixth at the Junior World Rowing Championships in Bulgaria, the first time the u19W4x has made it to the grand final in four years. She was a fifth-place finisher at Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston, MA (the current best placement of any Niskayuna crew member at this event in history) and was a US Junior National Team and represented the USA in Bulgaria at the World’s Rowing event.
For her community service, Heather is a Volunteer National Ski Patrol member, as she is a first responder to accidents, assisting in treating and transporting individuals to a higher level of care, and assisting in the opening and closing of mountain trails and the marking of trail hazards. As an ARC tutor, Heather helps students with homework. She is a Junior Warriors Basketball Coach, teaching young girls from elementary to middle school the skills and drills of the sport and also serving as an official. She is the Secretary of the Outing Club, a member of the Women in STEM Club and a certified lifeguard.
CDSWOY will announce the next student-athlete recipient on July 11. A total of 10 high school and three college female student-athletes will be honored.
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