MAAC Announces Recipients of 2021 Bob McCloskey Insurance MAAC Postgraduate Scholar-Athlete Scholarship
EDISON, NJ (July 19, 2021) – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) has announced that Hayley Kmack (Siena College ’21) and Oderah ‘O.D.’ Anosike (Siena College ’13) have been awarded the 2021 Bob McCloskey Insurance MAAC Postgraduate Scholar-Athlete Scholarship.
Bob McCloskey Insurance (BMI) provides annual postgraduate scholarships to two former student-athletes from the league’s member institutions. The scholarship intends to promote and encourage academically and athletically accomplished student-athletes to continue their education by attending graduate school.
As part of the selection process, the committee evaluates athletic and academic achievements, as well as campus involvement, community service, volunteer activities, and demonstrated leadership.
“O.D. and Hayley represent both the past and present of the MAAC mantra of excellence in academics and athletics,” said MAAC Commissioner Rich Ensor. “The MAAC wishes them the best as they continue their postgraduate education and we envision both of them finding successful careers and fulfilling their dreams. I would also like to thank BMI for their constant support of the MAAC and higher education.”
Kmack graduated from Siena College this spring with a 4.0 GPA with a degree in Psychology and a minor in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies and a Certificate in Community Development. She will continue her postgraduate education at Hofstra University as she studies School-Community Psychology. This past season Kmack was a team captain on the Saints Women’s Lacrosse Team and helped Siena to a MAAC Tournament Championship appearance. For the past two years, Kmack served as a team representative on Siena’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), where she was an advocate for student-athletes to administration during the Covid-19 pandemic. She also was part of the Siena SAAC voting initiative which resulted in all of Siena’s student-athletes being registered to vote. In addition to her time with the SAAC, Kmack also worked for Siena College’s Center for Academic Community Engagement. While there Kmack conducted research with local non-profits through the Nonprofit Excellence and Transformation (NExT) Program and served as a project and program leader. She also was able to lead an interdisciplinary team of students on a research project to help teach developmentally disable adults life skills by giving them different experiences within the community. Kmack also spent time in 2019 as a tutor for both the Saints Supporting Saints Tutoring program and the Wizard’s Wardrobe Tutoring Company as a literacy tutor for children grades K-4. She also was a decorated academic student being honored with the Major Field Award in Psychology, the Life of Service Award, Outstanding Academic Athlete, Psi Chi Honor Society member, a member of the MAAC All-Academic Team, MAAC Academic Honor Roll, the President’s List and had the Highest Student-Athlete GPA in the School of Liberal Arts at Siena. Kmack will pursue her Doctorate of Psychology and wants to become a behavioral therapist for children with developmental disabilities and become an advocate for the Autism Community.
“I’m truly honored to be a recipient of the 2021 Bob McCloskey Insurance MAAC Postgraduate Scholar-Athlete Scholarship,” said Kmack “My Siena Women’s Lacrosse coaches and teammates pushed me to reach my full potential as a student-athlete, giving me the skills and confidence to pursue a doctoral degree. I also want to thank my family for their unconditional support, everyone involved with Siena Athletics for their efforts, and the MAAC for their generosity. I look forward to continuing to represent Siena College and the MAAC with pride as I complete my graduate education and move onto my career as a psychologist.”
Anosike graduated from Siena College in 2013 with a 3.35 GPA, collecting a major in Economics and a minor in criminal justice and sociology. The New York native will continue his postgraduate education at Liberty University where he will study public administration. Anosike spent his post-undergraduate years continuing his professional basketball career playing in the NBA Summer League in 2013 and 2014 and played overseas from 2013 to 2021. While with the Saints he was a member of their 2010 MAAC Championship team and grew into the nation’s most prolific rebounder. Off the court, Anosike was a volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House where he was a mentor to the youth and was a Regional Food Bank volunteer where he assisted in gathering, sorting, and distributing food to the less fortunate. He also was a member of SAAC at Siena from 2011-13 where he served as a liaison for the men’s basketball team to the athletic administration. Anosike also excelled in the classroom as he was a member of the MAAC All-Academic Team in 2012 and 2013. He was also a member of the Alpha Kappa Delta National Honor Society of Sociology and the Omicron Delta Epsilon National Honor Society of Economics. In 2013 he was awarded the Robbins/ECAC Division 1 Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year award for outstanding academic and athletic achievement. After he obtains his postgraduate degree Anosike plans on pursuing his dream of becoming an athletics director at a higher education institution.
"I couldn't be more thankful to the MAAC for awarding me such a prestigious scholarship,” said Anosike. “During my time at Siena, the administration made a concerted effort to engrain in all of my peers that comprehensive excellence was the epitome of what Siena represented. With that in mind, I always tried to excel not only on the court, but in the classroom and in the community as well. Although I'll be embarking on my graduate studies elsewhere, I feel an immense sense of pride knowing that the strong academic foundation that was laid at Siena has prepared me to accomplish great things. I hope to make all MAAC supporters proud as I venture onto this new journey."
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 41st year of competition during the 2021-22 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.