Albany, NY—Russell Sage College's department of athletics announced their award winners for the 2021-2022 academic year at the annual awards banquet. In addition to several honors bestowed for athletic and academic excellence, Sage also selected the Gator of the Year Award for the department's 21 varsity sports for the 2021-2022 year.
RSC's rookie women's basketball player Syrita Faraj (Troy, NY/Tamarac) was honored as the Female Rookie of the Year on a Team Sport.
Head Women's Basketball Coach Allison Coleman commented "Syrita put together a great opening campaign during her first year in a Gator uniform and I am excited to see what she, and the team, are able to do moving forward throughout her career here at Russell Sage." She added, "She works hard at her game and has already become a better player than she was when she first got to campus. This award is just the beginning for what the future holds for Syrita and she will continue to represent Sage Athletics well in the future."
Faraj helped to lead her team to the 2021-2022 Empire 8 Women's Basketball Semifinals. At season's end, she was voted the Empire 8 Conference Rookie of the Year. The guard also earned second-team All-E8 honors, as bestowed by the conference's head coaches.
She finished the year averaging 13.8 points on 39.4 percent shooting and 7.9 rebounds. She's netted 25+ points on four occasions, including a season high 30 in a November win vs. Albertus Magnus, and registered ten double-doubles. Her efforts garnered her four E8 Rookie of the Week selections. She also finished her first season scoring the most points by a rookie in the women's basketball program's history as she scored 372 points.
