Sischo Earns Fifth Male Athlete of the Year Award

AMHERST, N.Y. - For an unprecedented fifth time, standout basketball student-athlete Andrew Sischo (Guilderland, N.Y.) has been named the 2021-22 Daemen University Male Athlete of the Year. The announcement was made this evening at the Wildcat Night of Honors, an annual event held on campus to recognize the achievements of the university's intercollegiate teams and student-athletes.

Once again, the 6-foot-9 center dominated for the Wildcats and earned consensus All-American honors for a third straight year. Utilizing an additional season of eligibility granted to NCAA student-athletes who have competed through the COVID-19 pandemic, Sischo averaged 22.9 points per game and 13.0 rebounds per game to lead all Daemen and East Coast Conference players. Sischo also led all NCAA Division II players in rebounds per game and double-doubles (24) and finished sixth overall in points per game. The graduate student's production helped the Wildcats to a 20-9 record along with a 16-2 mark in East Coast Conference play and a run to the final round of the ECC Championship tournament in March. It marked the fourth time in Sischo's five seasons that the team reached the 20-win plateau.

Named the ECC Player of the Year for an unprecedented fourth consecutive season and the only five-time All-ECC First Team selection in conference history, Sischo closed out the season as one of four Daemen players to appear in all 29 games (28 starts) and was the team leader in points (665), rebounds (377), field goals made (264), free throws made (132), blocks (24) and minutes played (31.9.) He also ranked second on the team in field goal percentage (.599), third in steals (18) and sixth in assists (42.) In addition to winning the scoring and rebounding titles, Sischo led all ECC players in field goal percentage and placed ninth in total blocks and blocks per game (0.9). 

In what was his "last dance" on Main Street, Sischo showed pure consistency as he finished in double-figure scoring 28 times this season and was surrounded by the same starting lineup and many veteran playmakers off the bench from one year ago. Sischo scored 20 or more points in a game in 18 contests and 30 or more seven times. In an 83-73 win over Saint Rose on November 27, the big man scored a season-high 37 points along with 14 rebounds. This marked the third highest scoring output in his Daemen career behind a program single-game record 47 points in a ECC postseason win versus Queens on March 4, 2020 and a 42-point takeover against rival Roberts Wesleyan on February 8, 2021. He also posted a season-high 21 rebounds along with 13 points in a 97-52 win over D'Youville on February 9, the second-highest rebounding total of his career (23 versus Molloy on February 16, 2018). 

In Daemen's season-opening 67-63 win versus Minnesota State Moorhead on October 29 at the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2 CCA) Tip-Off Classic in Canyon, Texas, Sischo passed Alex Nwora '93 for the program record for career rebounds (1,101). The following night, in a loss to Colorado Mesa, Sischo became the ECC's all-time leading scorer, breaking the record set by former St. Thomas Aquinas standout Justin Reyes (2,247). Later in the season, Sischo passed both Reyes and former Saint Rose player Damon Reed for most career rebounds in ECC history. All these accolades came a season after Sischo passed Robert Robinson '92 to become Daemen's all-time leading scorer and just the second player in ECC history to record 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in a career.

To close out his illustrious Daemen career, Sischo recorded five double-doubles over the last six games, including twice against STAC. In a 75-70 regular season overtime loss against the Spartans in Lumsden Gymnasium on February 18, Sischo finished with 31 points and 11 rebounds. In postseason play, Sischo led the Wildcats with 35 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists in a ECC tournament semifinal win versus Molloy on March 5. The following day, Sischo recorded the final double-double of his career – 24 points and 13 rebounds on 11-of-18 shooting plus three blocks – in the ECC tournament championship game, a 59-48 loss again to the Spartans.

In addition to his ECC accolades, Sischo expanded his resume even further for both his on and off the court efforts. For the third time in his career, Sischo was named the East Region Player of the Year and a First Team All-American by the D2 CCA. For the second time in his career, Sischo was recognized by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) with a selection to the Academic All-America Second Team. Additionally, Sischo was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-District First Team and later was selected for their Reese's Division II College All-Star Game. Sischo became the first Daemen player to participate in the game which featured the top players from around the country who have exhausted their collegiate eligibility. Despite the 98-96 loss to the West All-Stars, Sischo shot 8-for-13 from the field and recorded 19 points and 11 rebounds. Sischo was also once again named to the Bevo Francis Award Top 25 Watch List, naming him as one of the top Small College Basketball players in the country.

In his five-year career, Sischo appeared in 133 of a possible 137 games (116 starts) and totaled 2,888 points, 1,478 rebounds and 1,146 made field-goals – all Daemen and ECC records. His career scoring (21.7) and rebounding (11.1) averages are also both program records. Sischo led the Wildcats to 100 wins, one ECC regular-season title, three NCAA tournament appearances and its first-ever NCAA Regional championship. Sischo finished his collegiate career as the active leader in points, rebounds and double-doubles (84) across all NCAA divisions and ranked 15th for career points and fourth for career rebounds in Division II history. He is the only Division II player ever to reach 2,800 points and 1,400 rebounds. Perhaps most impressively, Sischo walks away as the all-time leading scorer among all NCAA men's basketball programs in the state of New York. 

Sischo is one of two multi-time recipients of Daemen's Male Athlete of the Year award which has now been presented to a basketball student-athlete nine times since its inception in 2012. Past recipients include basketball standouts Casey Sheehan (2012-13), Gerald Beverly (2013-14, 2014-15) and Torrence Dyck (2015-16), as well as cross country/track and field athlete Kevin Roginson (2016-17). 

Additional Male Athlete of the Year nominees for 2021-22 were track and field athlete Erik Matthews (Galway, N.Y.), cross country/track and field runner Jon Moote (Wilson, N.Y.) and volleyball player Zach Schneider (Lockport, N.Y.). 

Daemen University features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 17 intercollegiate teams. For the latest information on Daemen Athletics, follow the Wildcats via social media on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, or sign up to receive customizable news alerts, e-mail newsletters and weekly schedule alerts.