General 5/23/2017 3:13:00 PM Lea Sobieraski, Athletics Communications Graduate Assistant

Pawlak Earns Prestigious Honor At ECC Awards Dinner

Senior Basketball Player Named Recipient Of The Excellence In Community And Character Award

AMHERST, N.Y. – On Monday, May 22, Rachel Pawlak (North Tonawanda, N.Y./Niagara-Wheatfield) of the Daemen College women's basketball team was named a recipient of the East Coast Conference Excellence in Community and Character Award at the annual ECC Awards Dinner held at the John J. Cox Student Center on the campus of the University of Bridgeport.

The most prestigious award presented by the conference, the Excellence in Community and Character Award recognizes student-athletes who have distinguished themselves through positive actions and behaviors that are consistent with the NCAA Division II attributes of learning, service, passion, sportsmanship, balance and resourcefulness.

"Congratulations to Rachel on receiving this prestigious award," said Bridget Niland, Daemen's director of athletics. "Daemen Athletics and the ECC are better for her involvement and leadership. She truly made the most of her time here at Daemen as a student and as an athlete. We are excited for her as she takes her energy and talent on to law school."

Athletically, Pawlak has been a valuable, contributing member for the Daemen women's basketball team in each of the last four seasons. Pawlak appeared in all 107 possible contests throughout her career, and totaled 903 minutes played. She concluded her career by averaging 8.4 minutes and 1.7 points per game, while shooting 32.1 percent from the field, 32.5 percent from three-point range, and 66.7 percent from the charity strip this past season while helping the Wildcats (11-15 overall, 8-15 ECC) to their most successful season since becoming a full-fledged NCAA Division II member.

Pawlak's resume off the basketball court is even more remarkable, as she has left a monumental mark on Daemen College away from the field of competition, and on the greater community as a whole. In her position as the Student-Athletic Advisory Council (SAAC) president, Pawlak led the committee in numerous community and college volunteer initiatives, including Make-A-wish and Dreams for Drake events. She also served as an English as a second language assistant teacher at the Workplace Literacy Center in Buffalo, N.Y. Additionally, Pawlak volunteered at St. Vincent DePaul in Buffalo, working with a team of volunteers who organized a clothing drive to help those in need. Furthermore, Pawlak was one of four student-athletes chosen from the ECC to participate in the NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum last spring, and she also represented Daemen at the NCAA Career in Sports Forum held at the organization's headquarters in Indianapolis, Ind.

Academically, Pawlak recently graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a specialization in Sport Management, as well as earning two minors: Pre-Law and Marketing, and a Paralegal Studies certificate. She was a member of the Dean's list during all eight semesters of her time at Daemen, and will attend Law School at Indiana University this coming fall.

Pawlak was recently named the 2016-17 Daemen College C.L.A.W. Award, which is presented annually to the senior student-athlete who best exhibits excellence in the traits of character, leadership, academic achievement and work ethic, and she was also named a co-recipient of the athletic department's Graduating Scholar-Athlete Award which goes annually to the highest achieving student or students among Daemen's graduating student-athletes.

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Players Mentioned

#3 Rachel Pawlak: G; 5' 6"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#3 Rachel Pawlak
: 5' 6"; Senior
: G

Players Mentioned

#3 Rachel Pawlak

Players Mentioned

#3 Rachel Pawlak