ALBANY, N.Y. - The University at Albany track and field program's Rebeca Valerie Barrientos Alpha has earned the SUNY Scholar Athlete of the Year award for indoor track and field.
 
Honored for combining academic achievement with success in the arena of athletic competition during the third year of selection of the SUNY Scholar-Athlete Awards, the winter awards honor six sports in Division I - men's and women's basketball, men's and women's indoor track and field, women's swimming and diving, and an at-large category. 
 
A leader in the classroom and in her field of competition, Rebeca Valerie Barrientos Alpha is SUNY's Indoor Track and Field Scholar Athlete of the Year.
 
An eight-time member of the Dean's List and five-time honoree on the America East Commissioner's Honor Roll, Barrientos Alpha was named to the America East All-Academic Team following the 2024-25 indoor track and field season. She closed her career with a Triple Jump title at the 2025 AE Indoor Championships to secure her sixth AE All-Conference nod. During the 2024-25 championship alone, Barrientos Alpha held the highest triple jump distance by nearly a meter with a personal record 12.88-meter jump and the runner-up finishing with an 11.90-meter jump. She also finished top 10 in the conference with a fourth-place finish at the championship in the long jump to earn the America East Coaches' Award. 
 
Graduating with her master's degree this spring, she finished with a 3.76 GPA for her business administration bachelor's degree. She currently has a 3.93 GPA in the MBA program.
 
The Winter SUNY Scholar-Athlete Awards recognized 23 student-athletes from SUNY colleges and universities sponsoring intercollegiate athletics at the four- and two-year levels who were nominated and voted upon by representatives of their respective institutions. Later this year, spring sports winners will be chosen.
 
More than 14,000 student-athletes compete at SUNY institutions representing 53 different colleges and universities at the NCAA Division I, NCAA Division III/USCAA, and NJCAA levels and are eligible for the awards.
 
To view SUNY's Scholar-Athlete homepage, click here.
 
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