General | 11/4/2024 4:00:00 PM

AMHERST, N.Y. -- Daemen University student athletes Aidan Kincaid (Orchard Park, N.Y.) of the men's cross country team and Becca Schultz (Grand Island, N.Y.) of the women's soccer team have been named the October Athletes of the Month after success on the course and the pitch. The Daemen Athletics Athlete of the Month series is sponsored by WNY Knee and Orthopedic Surgery and is given out monthly to a male and female student athlete that put together a standout month in their respective sport.



Kincaid was named Athlete of the Month for the first time in his career after helping the Wildcats to a second place team finish at the 2024 East Coast Conference Cross Country Championships on October 26. Over his three year career at Daemen, Kincaid has helped the Wildcats finish second in the conference at the ECC Championships for three straight seasons. 

The junior paced the Wildcat men in the last two races and finished in the top three in all three races in October. Kincaid finished in the top 200 at the prestigious Paul Short Run on Oct. 5, placing 191st out of 312 runners with a time of 27:31.7 to finish third on the team. He became the first Daemen runner to cross the finish line for the first time in his career on Oct. 19 at the Canisius Alumni Classic, placing 35th out of 120 runners with a time of 26:54.1 in the final meet of the regular season. In the conference championship on Oct. 26, Kincaid led the Wildcats as he finished 10th out of 68 runners at the ECC Championships with a time of 26:48.6 to earn Second Team All-ECC honors for the third straight season. Kincaid and the Wildcats will race in the 2024 NCAA Division II East Region Championship in Rochester, N.Y. on Saturday, Nov. 9. 



Schultz was named the Athlete of the Month for the second time, but first time as a women's soccer player, after helping the Wildcats to a 4-4 record during their gauntlet of a month of October. The junior goalkeeper made an impressive 77 saves in October and finished the month with an 89.5 save percentage. She ranks fifth in NCAA Division II women's soccer with 8.87 saves per game. 

The junior keeper earned three shutouts in wins over Roberts Wesleyan (Oct. 2), Clarion (Oct. Oct. 12) and Mercy (Oct. 26). Schultz made double-digit saves in three matches, first making 11 saves on 22 shots faced in the shutout over the Redhawks. She made a career-high 16 saves on 41 shots against No. 7 ranked Gannon on Oct. 23 -- 16 saves ranks her 11th in Division II women's soccer for single-game saves this season. Schultz made 12 saves on 24 shots faced against Saint Anselm on Oct. 30, marking the fifth time this season that she made double-digit saves. The junior only allowed nine goals over the eight games in October on 170 shots faced. Schultz is the only player on the Wildcats to play the full 90 minutes in all 15 matches this season. She was named the ECC Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 28, marking the third time this season that she earned the weekly conference honor. Schultz and the Wildcats finished second in the ECC during the regular season and will host the ECC Semifinals for the second consecutive season on Sunday, Nov. 10.
 

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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.