02/04/2026
Four SUNY Cortland students were recognized recently for their excellence in the classroom and on the playing field, earning SUNY-wide honors as the scholar athletes of the year in their respective sports.
SUNY Cortland junior Kira Pirrera of Hauppauge, N.Y., senior Jordan Ott of Fort Worth, Texas, senior Katie Diem of Fairport, N.Y., and sophomore Mike Rescigno of Arlington, N.Y., were honored as 2025 SUNY Fall Scholar Athletes of the Year.
More than 14,000 students who compete at SUNY institutions are eligible for the awards, which are presented across the Division I, III and NJCAA categories. Cortland had the most awardees among all SUNY institutions for the fall.
Pirrera, Ott and Diem were also selected as State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Fall Scholar Athletes of the Year in their respective sports for the 2025 season.
The SUNY Scholar Athlete Awards recognize student-athletes for outstanding academic and athletic success and are presented three times a year to coincide with the specific sports contested in the fall, winter and spring seasons. The winners in each sport are then nominated for an overall Scholar Athlete of the Year for men’s sports and women’s sports in each category that will be announced in July.
Nominating information includes cumulative grade point average, current and career statistics, and athletic and academic honors.
The SUNYAC Scholar Athlete Award winners are selected from each of the SUNYAC’s sponsored sports. A student-athlete must have a minimum overall grade point average of 3.30, be a starter or significant reserve on his or her team and have an academic class standing of sophomore or higher.
Katie Diem
Diem is a biology major who began the fall semester with a 4.0 GPA. A women’s soccer defender, she was named SUNYAC Women’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Year and to the United Soccer Coaches All-Region 3 first team.
She also was honored as a CSC first team Academic All-American, was the SUNYAC’s Elite 20 Award winner as the player with the highest GPA at the league championship site and was named to the SUNYAC All-Tournament Team. She started all 21 games and finished the season with four goals and three assists for 11 points. Diem helped Cortland finish 14-3-4 overall (8-0-1 in the SUNYAC) and win both the SUNYAC regular-season and tournament titles.
Jordan Ott
Ott is a sport management major who had a 3.63 overall GPA prior to the fall semester. A men’s soccer goalkeeper, he earned United Soccer Coaches fourth team All-America and first team All-Region 3 recognition. In addition, he was named the SUNYAC Men’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Year.
A College Sports Communicators (CSC) second team Academic All-American, Ott started 21 games and played every minute in goal during the season. He recorded a 0.51 goals against average, .891 save percentage, 90 total saves, 14-1-6 record and a school single-season record 13 shutouts, tying second nationally in Division III in shutouts, third in save percentage and seventh nationally in GAA. Ott helped Cortland finish 14-1-6 (7-0-2 in the SUNYAC), win the SUNYAC regular-season title and advance to the third round of the NCAA tournament.
Kira Pirrera
Pirrera is an inclusive childhood education major who entered the fall semester with a 3.89 overall GPA. A women’s volleyball outside hitter, she earned an American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) honorable mention All-America and first team All-Region 3 honors, and was named the SUNYAC Women’s Volleyball Player of the Year. She also was named to the CSC Academic All-District Team.
Pirrera played in 114 sets over 32 matches and finished the season with 435 kills, a .226 attack percentage, 54 aces, 338 digs and 54 blocks. She helped the Red Dragons finish 24-8 (9-0 in the SUNYAC) and win both the SUNYAC regular-season and tournament titles for the fifth consecutive season.
Mike Rescigno
Rescigno is a physical education major who had a 3.82 overall GPA prior to the fall. A quarterback for the football team, he earned second team All-Empire 8 honors and was named to the CSC Academic All-District team.
Rescigno started in all 11 games and completed 128-of-216 passes for 1,728 yards and 22 touchdowns and rushed 155 times for 1,068 yards and 12 scores. He set a school single-season record for rushing yards by a quarterback, and he helped the Red Dragons finish 8-3 (7-0 in the Empire 8) and win the conference title for the fifth straight year.