The CUNY Athletic Conference has declared its 2016 Scholar Athletes of the Year after much deliberation by the selection committee. This year's winners were some of the best on the field and the brightest off of it. On May 17th the CUNYAC Office proudly awarded our four winners with the honors of being a Scholar Athlete of the Year.

Daomi Burch

Christian Pacode

Christina Tufano

Dennis Melendez

QCC Women's Basketball star Daomi Burch is the Community College Women's representative after a great two year career on the hardwood. Hunter Wrestling's Dennis Melendez has continued the programs regional success and its strength in the classroom as he is the second wrestler in a row to grab this award for the Hawks. Christina Tufano, CSI's captain of the softball team has never missed a start in her illustrious four-year career and clearly never misses time in the library either. We round out this year's winners with Christian Pacode, BMCC Men's Soccer player who keeps opposing attackers from scoring and in the future will also keep the books balanced with his accounting abilities.

Daomi Burch embodies the qualities of an ideal student-athlete. She is driven, a team player, and a natural leader who gives as much effort in the classroom as she does on the basketball court. These characteristics have been the foundation of her past and present successes and will continue to guide her to future success. Earning a 3.53 GPA while majoring in Liberal Arts has created endless opportunities for Burch to take the next step forward in her academic and athletic careers.

As a Tiger, Burch's outstanding abilities have been widely recognized. The sophomore is a 2-Time CUNYAC All-Star, where she was also a 2015 CUNYAC All-Tournament Team member and a part of the 2015 CUNYAC CC Women's Basketball Tournament runner-ups. Outside of CUNYAC, Burch was named a 2015 Region XV Honorable Mention and a 2016 Region XV Second Team member. Despite those athletic achievements, her best attributes were on display in the classroom where she compiled a 3.53 GPA overall while being nominated to the Dean's List multiple times.

Daomi Burch is an extremely bright and motivated young woman. She has high expectations for herself and is prepared to take the necessary steps to accomplish her goals. Burch will be attending CUNY Queens College this coming fall and will be majoring in Family and Consumer Sciences. This will add to her already excellent foundation and allow her to pursue a career in social work so that she can help those in need. Daomi leaves simple advice, "Never stop trying, because if you do, all of your hard work will go unnoticed." Daomi's resilience and determination to push on through adverse circumstances is admirable and unmatched.

Like many student-athlete making the transition from high school to the college level, Dennis Melendez had to adapt to many different changes; a different coach, a different academic structure, a larger course load, and veteran competition both on the team and against his opponents. Unfazed by the adversity, Melendez quickly impressed then head coach, Mike Simon. Success was not just handed to him on the mats; he had to earn it every step of the way.

Culminating his impressive collegiate career, Melendez rocketed out to a hot start that included 11 wins in his first 13 matches of his senior year. His performances throughout the season earned him a spot in the D3Wrestle.com top-10 individual rankings, landing a spot as high as #7 in the country.

Melendez leaves Hunter with an impressive resume that includes 79 wins and an NCAA participant. Additionally, his three-time All-State nods are made even more impressive in the fact that it was spread over three different weight classes; 184, 197 and heavyweight. Lastly, he has one All-Region kudos and a Regional Championship title to add to his resume.

Along with the success Melendez was enjoying on the mats, the Elmont, New York native was thriving in the classroom and working toward pursuing his career goals. Carrying a 3.707 GPA throughout his time at Hunter and earning Dean's List honors in five semesters, his original plan was to pursue a career in physical therapy. However, he decided to change his career path from physical therapy to one of scientific research while keeping his psychology major. He reasoned that "a degree in psychology is a more versatile degree that will allow for me to have greater career options upon graduation." Now, he is taking what he has learned studying psychology and applying it to his studies of animal behavior.

Post-graduation, his future career plans include pursuing a Ph.D. in behavioral biology or along the lines of a similar study. Further on, he would like to work in a research lab at a university, eventually opening up his own lab, and become a professor.

The College of Staten Island's Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Christina Tufano, has been a stalwart for the Dolphins' four-time defending CUNYAC Champion Softball team, never missing a start in her career at third base. A former CUNYAC Player of the Year and an All-Star every season, Tufano's excellence on the diamond runs side-by-side with her proficiency in the classroom. A Psychology major, she boasts a 3.841 GPA as a Dean's List scholar while serving as a Physical Therapy Aide with the Rehabilitation Physical Therapy Association of Staten Island.

Christina crushed the record books in softball, breaking CSI career records this year in hits, RBIs, and doubles, with two more records in her sights. This season alone, she leads the softball team in hitting, RBI, hits, triples, slugging percentage and on-base percentage. "The coaches always encourage hard work ethic on and off the field. I put a lot of pressure on myself, and our coaches always support us and make the game fun. They know how to get the best out of us," Tufano said. Her inspiration not only comes from her coaches and teammates but Tufano owes a lot of her success to her family. "My parents and my brother are always there for me and support every decision I make. They come to every game, my dad came out to Texas earlier in the season. He's my #1 fan."

When reflecting back on her time spent at CSI and in the CUNYAC, Tufano says, "It was the best decision of my life; I can balance everything. I can work, play and excel in the classroom. I love what I do." All told, Christina's ability to not just manage, but excel in the academic and athletic arenas have left her as an inspiration for the entire student-athlete body and with the completion of her career, she will leave an enormous void on a team and program that has been synonymous with CUNYAC excellence for some time.

As a young soccer fan, Christian Pacode grew up idolizing Brazilian soccer superstar Ronaldinho, not just for his status as one of the greatest in a generation, but for his reputation as a charismatic leader and the level of respect he earned from his opponents. Many of these same traits can be seen in Christian today, as his coach Modou Seck puts it, "He is very committed to the team and is an example to his teammates for what he does on and off the field. I am very grateful to have had Christian for the past two seasons, he has been a leader since he came in on Day 1."

Since his arrival at Borough of Manhattan Community College in the Fall of 2014, Pacode has been nothing short of exceptional in the classroom, earning a spot on the Dean's list in each of his previous three semesters. Between classes, sports, jobs, and volunteering, Pacode has been busy over the last two years, but has still managed to keep school as a top priority. As an accounting major, Pacode has maintained an impressive 3.91cumulative grade point average during his time at BMCC. The sophomore uses his own success in the classroom to motivate his teammates to stay focused in school.

Christian is completing his final semester at BMCC and will graduate this spring. He is currently deciding between Lehman, Baruch, SUNY Binghamton and Albany. He will pursue a Bachelor's Degree in Finance or Accounting while continuing to play soccer. Regardless of where he attends in the fall, the future looks bright for Christian Pacode.