Five former MAAC Basketball Student-Athletes Named 2019 Victory Scholars by Sport Changes Life
EDISON, NJ – Five former Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) student-athletes have been chosen as the 2019 MAAC Victory Scholars. The five are; Taylor Williams of Manhattan College, Connor McClenaghan from Marist College, Niagara University’s Jamie Sherburne, Alyssa Velles from Saint Peter’s University, and Kollyns Scarbrough of Siena College.
Designed in partnership with the charity’s founding university partner Ulster University, the Victory Scholar Program brings hope to young people in local communities through alternative forms of education in teamwork, sport, and confidence delivered by the prestigious group of American student-athletes, who will also pursue postgraduate degrees during their time here. This year’s class of 34 Victory Scholars have been carefully selected to work in our community outreach programs such as EHOOPS and Honor Role program.
Williams appeared in 117 games during her four-year career at Manhattan. The Connecticut native finished her career with 121 three-pointers made, which is eighth in program history. Williams was a finance major at Manhattan.
McClenaghan played in 96 games at Marist. Tallied a career-high 11 points for the Red Foxes against Niagara back on February 23 of this past season. The Texas native majored in psychology.
As a senior in 2017-18,
Sherburne averaged a career-high 8.0 points per game and over four assists for Niagara. She finished her career with over 300 assists for the Purple Eagles. The New Hampshire product majored in education at Niagara and was a member of the MAAC Academic Honor Roll.
The former Peacock,
Velles, appeared in 121 games and scored over 700 points. The Connecticut native finished her career with 165 makes from behind the arc, which ranks second in Saint Peter’s history. The business management major made the MAAC Academic Honor Roll in both her junior and senior seasons.
Scarbrough was a four-time All-MAAC performer; All-MAAC First Team (2017-18), All-MAAC Second Team (2015-16 & 2016-17), All-Rookie Team (2014-15). The New York native was also a three-time MAAC All-Academic Team member. Scarbrough helped the Saints reach the semifinals at the last two MAAC Championships. The former Saint was also the 2018 MAAC nominee for the NCAA Women of the Year Award.
The Victory Scholars Program consists of student-athletes who have excelled in their academics and sport, primarily basketball and in recent years golf, at American universities during their undergraduate studies. Through a rigorous selection process, these future leaders progress to study in our partnering Universities and Higher Education Institutes for postgraduate Master degrees across the Island of Ireland while putting their extensive knowledge of their sport, team building, and mentorship into practice in our communities across the island. The Victory Scholars legacy has helped strengthen the level of basketball being played at a grassroots level and continues to leave a lasting impact in continuing to build relationships which help provide a vital outlet for confidence building and, in many cases, mentoring young people toward their own future victory.
In addition to their roles as local ambassadors for sport and as team builders and mentors for young people island-wide, the Victory Scholars also take on a unique role as ambassadors for the upcoming
Basketball Hall of Fame Belfast Classic presented by Sport Changes Life, which will take place from November 29 through December 1, 2018 at the SSE Arena, Belfast. The three-day basketball event will welcome eight American universities as they go head-to-head to compete in competitive collegiate basketball tournament outside of America.
| 2018-19 MAAC Victory Scholars |
| Scholar |
Sport |
MAAC Institution |
Irish Institution |
| Taylor Williams |
Women’s Basketball |
Manhattan College |
Limerick IT |
| Connor McClenaghan |
Men’s Basketball |
Marist College |
IT Sligo |
| Jamie Sherburne |
Women’s Basketball |
Niagara University |
Maynooth University |
| Alyssa Velles |
Women’s Basketball |
Saint Peter’s University |
Waterford IT |
| Kollyns Scarbrough |
Women’s Basketball |
Siena College |
Ulster University |
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 38th year of competition during the 2018-19 academic year. Current Conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter's University, and Siena College.