High School Seniors Honored at 2023-24 OCIAA Senior Scholar Athlete Breakfast

High school seniors who have distinguished themselves in the classroom and the athletic arena were honored on Thursday, June 6, at the annual Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association (OCIAA) Scholar Athlete Awards Breakfast held at the Country Club at Otterkill in Campbell Hall. About 275 people, including honorees, their families, school district personnel, members of the OCIAA Executive Committee and sponsors attended the event.

The keynote speaker for the morning was Brian Riley, who recently completed his 20th season as Army West Point head hockey coach. Mr. Riley is a three-time Atlantic Hockey Association Coach of the Year and led the Black Knights to the first regular season championship in the history of the program. Mr. Riley played collegiate hockey at Brown University and started his coaching career at SUNY Plattsburgh.

Mr. Riley, whose father Jack Riley and brother Rob Riley were also Army hockey head coaches, spoke about leadership and how nothing is more important than family. He encouraged the scholar athletes to pick up the phone and call their parents when they leave home for college or careers.

Orange County District Attorney David Hoover also spoke at the breakfast, along with Orange-Ulster BOCES Chief Operating Officer Deborah McBride Heppes and OCIAA Interscholastic Athletic Coordinator Christopher P. Mayo.
The master of ceremonies was Warwick Valley Athletic Director Greg Sirico. Damari Lewis (Kingston HS) was the recipient of the Tyler Muise Award and also sang the national anthem at the breakfast.

Monroe-Woodbury was the OCIAA Community Service Challenge Award winner. Sharon Delmonico of Valley Central was the winner of the inaugural Athletic Trainer of the Year Award.

The OCIAA Scholar Athlete Awards Breakfast is coordinated by the Orange-Ulster BOCES Regional Office of Interscholastic Athletics, which is part of a BOCES cooperative service offered to school districts. The office serves the needs of the Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association (OCIAA), the Mid-Hudson Athletic League (MHAL) and Section IX Athletic Council.

In addition to coordinating the breakfast, some of the office’s many functions include scheduling interscholastic athletics, scheduling and paying officials, providing in-service courses for coaches, conducting championship contests, maintaining a website for athletic scheduling, and mentoring athletic directors.

For more information, contact Chris Mayo, Athletic Coordinator, at 845-294-5799.