Coney Named MAC Scholar-Athlete of the Week

Patrice Coney

BUFFALO, NY – University at Buffalo senior Patrice Coney (Lyons, NY/Lyons) has been named the Mid-American Conference’s Women’s Scholar-Athlete of the Week, the league announced in Cleveland this week.

Coney, nursing major with a 3.33 grade point average, scored a new school record in the pentathlon, establishing herself as an NCAA provisional qualifier with her fourth-place overall finish at the Penn State National Meet, one of the largest indoor events in the country on January 26. Coney’s 3,751 points bettered her previous school record of 3,677 set when she won last season's MAC indoor title last March. Coney also set UB's 55-meter hurdles record in the pentathlon competition with a time of 8.19. She also won the pentathlon's 800-meter dash in 2:20.93, took second in the shot put with a personal-best 37-2.50 (11.34m) and third in the long jump with a leap of 17-8.50 (5.40m).

Coney is the fourth UB athlete to earn the MAC’s Scholar-Athlete Award in the 2007-08 academic year. Women’s soccer player Andrea Vescio (Niagara Falls, Ontario/A.N. Myer) earned the award during the fall semester while divers Michael McDowell (Rush, NY/Rush Henrietta) and Meili Carpenter (Boulder, CO/Fairview) have picked up the award during the winter swimming season.

The MAC Scholar Athlete of the Week honor is presented to a MAC male and female student-athlete who has a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better and performs well during that week’s competition. The winners are selected by a group of the conference’s faculty athletic representatives.