The City University of New York Athletic Conference annually recognizes its best and brightest student-athletes, who not only excel in athletics, but succeed in the classroom as well. Over the next few weeks, CUNYAC will recognize those who truly embody what it means to be a student-athlete. The award is presented by Hospital for Special Surgery, the official hospital of the CUNY Athletic Conference.
Tommy Batista, a member of the Lehman College men's basketball team, owns a 3.46 grade-point average while majoring in Exercise Science.
On the court, Batista was a four-year letter winner, appearing in 77 games in a Lightning uniform. A Brooklyn native, the guard accumulated 442 points, 137 rebounds, 105 assists and 57 steals in his career.
"Tommy is one of the hardest working and committed players I have coached in my 20-year tenure at Lehman. He embodies what you can accomplish with hard work and determination," Lightning Head Coach Steve Schulman said.
This season, Batista put together his best campaign. He was named a team captain and played in all 27 games, averaging 10.3 points per outing, third best on the team. Batista paced Lehman in steals (43) and ranked No. 2 in minutes per game (31.3). At the end of the year, he earned CUNYAC's Sportsmanship Award.
"I would like to thank Lehman College, my coaches, teammates, and the CUNYAC for giving me the opportunity to succeed both on and off the basketball court for the last four years," Batista said.
2019-20 CUNYAC/HSS Scholar-Athlete of the Year Honorable Mentions
HSS is ranked #1 in the nation for orthopedics by U.S. News & World Report for the 10th straight year. No wonder the City University of New York Athletic Conference trust HSS as their official hospital. For more information, please visit www.HSS.edu. During this time of social distancing, HSS has developed resources to adjust to working from home, located on the new HSS Feel Better From Home website.