POUGHKEEPSIE, New York – Two Marist University student-athletes who were part of conference championship teams this past spring earned Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Awards.
 
The Red Foxes' recipients were Peyton Pusey (softball) and Josh Smith (men's lacrosse).
 
Pusey was named a First Team Sports Scholar in softball, and she added this honor to a spectacular list of accomplishments in her senior season last year. She was a Second Team College Sports Communicators Academic All-American, and she earned multiple conference awards, including Female Student-Athlete of the Year, Player of the Year, and Most Outstanding Player of the conference championship. She concluded her career as the conference's all-time leader in run scored, and she appeared in three NCAA Tournaments, including each of the past two years. She majored in Media Studies & Production, and she is now Assistant Director of Digital Production in Marist's Marketing & Communication Office.
 
As a sophomore last season, Smith was the face-off specialist for a men's lacrosse team that won its conference championship and then defeated Stony Brook in an NCAA First Round game. He won 52 percent of his face-offs, scooped up a team-high 101 ground balls, and he contributed four goals to go along with three assists. Smith is a Business Administration major who earned conference All-Academic honors last season. He was one of nine men's lacrosse players to earn this honor.
 
The Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Awards honor those who have excelled on the playing field and in the classroom, and are committed to community service and student leadership.