08/23/2023
National College Athlete Honor Society announces Scholar Athletes of the Year
RIVER FALLS, Wis. -- The National College Athlete Honor Society is proud to announce that Trent Hidlay of North Carolina State University and Fiona Smith of the College of Saint Benedict have been selected as Chi Alpha Sigma’s 2022-23 Scholar Athletes of the Year.
“We are very pleased to recognize Trent and Fiona with this honor,” Kellen Wells-Mangold, executive director of the National College Athlete Honor Society, said. “These two student-athletes stood out among a plethora of impressive candidates this year. They perfectly embody the values and mission of Chi Alpha Sigma and we are very proud to celebrate them for their achievements.”
The National Scholar Athlete of the Year award recognizes student-athletes from one men’s sport and one women’s sport who have each demonstrated academic and athletic
achievement, as well as service and leadership both on-campus and in the community. Nominees must be junior or senior Chi Alpha Sigma inductees who have maintained a minimum of a 3.40 cumulative grade-point average (GPA) throughout their collegiate careers and demonstrated how their experiences as scholar-athletes have influenced and empowered them to be successful after graduation.
Hidlay (Lewistown, Pa. | Mifflin County) is a four-time All-American and three-time Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) champion at 184 pounds as a member of the Wolfpack men’s wrestling team. Hidlay earned a spot on the U.S. World Team for the U23 World Championships after claiming first at the U23 U.S. World Team Trials this past season. In addition to his impressive resume on the mat, Hidlay has also excelled in the classroom, receiving CoSIDA Academic All-America honors and being named the ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2022. Hidlay is the third NC State student-athlete in history to receive Chi Alpha Sigma Scholar Athlete of the Year honors, joining former Wolfpack swimmers Andreas Vazaios (2019-20) and Eric Knowles (2021-22).
Smith (Dhahran, Saudi Arabia) has earned eleven All-America honors in three years as a distance runner at the College of Saint Benedict. The most decorated athlete in program history, Smith became CSB’s first-ever national champion in 2023 by capturing the NCAA Division III titles in both the 3,000- and 5,000-meter runs at the 2023 Indoor Track & Field Championships. Smith was also the national runner-up at the 2022 Cross Country Championships, as well as in the 5K and 10K at the 2023 Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Smith has maintained a perfect 4.0 grade-point average while majoring in mathematics at Saint Benedict, resulting in Academic All-America distinction from the College Sports Communicators, as well as Scholar Athlete of the Year honors from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Smith is the first student-athlete from the College of Saint Benedict to receive Scholar Athlete of the Year honors from the National College Athlete Honor Society.
Hidlay and Smith now become the ninth and tenth recipients of the Chi Alpha Sigma Scholar-Athlete of the Year award. Nominations for the 2023-24 honor will become available to active Chi Alpha Sigma chapter advisors in May 2024.
All-Time National College Athlete Honor Society Scholar Athletes of the Year
Year Student-Athlete Institution Sport(s)
2018-19 Aliyah Gustafson Bowling Green State University Women’s Track & Field
2018-19 Cole Rosenberger Johns Hopkins University Men’s Soccer
2019-20 Audrey Miller Loras College Women’s Cross Country, Track & Field
2019-20 Andreas Vazaios North Carolina State University Men’s Swimming & Diving
2020-21 Kieran Mullins Rutgers University Men's Lacrosse
2020-21 Emma Schulz SUNY Cortland Women's Gymnastics
2021-22 Eric Knowles North Carolina State University Men’s Swimming & Diving
2021-22 Zaresha Neal Bowling Green State University Women’s Track & Field
2022-23 Trent Hidlay North Carolina State University Men’s Wrestling
2022-23 Fiona Smith College of Saint Benedict Women’s Cross Country, Track & Field
The National College Athlete Honor Society, Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that was founded in 1996. Theta Chi Alpha and Chi Alpha Sigma work with state chapters of two- and four-year institutions to recognize college student-athletes who excel in their sport, the classroom, and the community. The National College Athlete Honor Society is part of an athletics community made of diverse groups and supports all efforts in diversity, equity, and inclusion.
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