Erie, Pa.—The Mercyhurst University Athletic Department has announced the finalists for the Female Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards. The Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year Awards are designated to celebrate both the senior year and the career of two outstanding graduating student athletes. Selection of winners will be based on the following: leadership, academic performance (gpa), community service, sportsmanship and athletic contributions to his/her team.
Alexa Vasko (Women's Ice Hockey)-Vasko was a three-year captain and helped lead the Lakers to a CHA Championship on the ice in 2020. Off the ice Vasko has earned two bachelor degrees in Exercise Science and Athletic Management while also minoring in Psychology. During her time in Erie she has earned a 3.964 GPA while also earning the Bill Smith Award in 2021. She is a member of SAAC here at Mercyhurst while also being a member of the NCAA Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Away from the ice she has served as a mentor for the AIM program and the Underground Church while also volunteering with the Canadian Mental Health Association in her hometown of Saint Catharines, Ont. She also gave back to her hometown by developing her own brand that donated 30% of all proceeds were donated to CMHA, on "Bell Let's Talk Day" (Jan. 26, 2022) 30% became 100% as Vasko donated all proceeds to CMHA Niagara.
Beth Brady (Volleyball)-A vital member to the Mercyhurst Volleyball team, Brady was a lead on and off the court for the Lakers. She has a 3.973 GPA as a Graphic Design major while minoring in Social Media and Web. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, she was a tutor while also mentoring AIM students. During her time at Mercyhurst she was a voting member of SAAC while being the Outreach Coordinator of the Mercyhurst Student Government. She also volunteered with Opening Minds Through Art, she was a hands on participant of helping senior citizen who were suffering from neurocognitive disorders. Currently she is an intern for MarchBerry, she has also worked as a Camp Leader at St. Augustine Camp during the summer. While being dominate on the court she is a Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society and was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team in 2021, an honor given to just 11 student athletes among three conferences.
Chloe McQuestion (Softball)-McQuestion has been a staple of the infield for the Lakers in her four seasons in Erie. Off the field however, she is looking to change the world. Since starting college four short years ago, McQuestion has volunteered with the Boys & Girls Club in Erie while also providing essnetials to domestic abuse victims in Erie. Hailing from Buffalo, McQuestion has also volunteered at Buffalo General Hospital where she provided any needs they may need of her. She also volunteered at the SPCA and local soup kitchens. Prior and throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, McQuestion has worked on multiple research projects including "Cognitive Dissonance Research Project Advance" and "Studying and Analyzing COVID-19 Genome" while also coauthoring "Bioremediation in Agriculture" in September 2021. Currently she is working on three research projects while finishing her bachelors degree in Biochemistry and a minor in Spanish. She currently has a 3.92 GPA and will be attending the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Buffalo in the fall.
Julia Buchman (Women's Basketball)-Buchman has played in 73 games in three seasons for the Lakers, she averages just over seven points a game. She is a team captain for the Lakers while also having a 3.851 GPA in Finance & Risk Management, she starts her master's degree in August in Cyber Risk Management. She is members of the Risk Management and Insurance Club, Gamma Kappa Chapter, and Gamma Iota Sigma where she has been vice president for the last two years. During he college career she has volunteers with the Boys & Girls Club of Erie, Presque Isle State Park Cleanup, and Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Light the Night Erie, she also served as an instructor at the Parkland Basketball Camp for four years. Last summer she served as an intern of Synergy Comp helping working as Underwriting Support Intern. In 2018, she was inducted into the Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society while also being a team representative for SAAC.
Kaitlyn Lippert (Women's Lacrosse)-Lippert has started in 40 games to this point in her four year career as the netminder for the women's lacrosse team. She has a .523 save percentage in her career and is currently on pace to set a new career high this season. Off the field, she has a 3.85 GPA as an intelligence studies major. She has had a jump start to career as she has already worked with multiple agencies and companies. She was a Consultant for the U.S. Department of State looking at China's Ecological Policies in 2021. In the summer of 2021, Lippert moved to Maryland to do an internship with the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency. In August of 2021 she had an internship with Blackbird.AI and is currently an intern for UNISHKA in Erie. As an undergrad she was also an intern student researcher for John's Hopkins Applied Physics Lab where she led a team of six students. Outside of her major she has volunteered with the Boys and Girls Club of Erie while also serving as volunteer at her high school's youth lacrosse programs.
