Benedetti recognized again for her athletic, academic achievements in college

In her final collegiate game, Canton’s Sarah Benedetti had a team-high 13 points for St. Francis-Brooklyn against No. 1 UConn at Gampel Pavilion.

DANBURY – The Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) has announced the six students who have been awarded Scholar Athlete of the Year awards. One male and female athlete in Division I, II and III are recognized based on extraordinary achievements in academics, athletics and community service.

Canton’s Sarah Benedetti, who graduated from St. Francis College in Brooklyn in June, was selected as one of the two Division I Scholar Athletes and will be honored in September in Danbury.

Benedetti graduated with a 3.96 GPA and majored in political science. She was a Dean’s List student each semester at St. Francis and was inducted into the prestigious St. Francis’ Duns Scotus Honor Society in 2014. In May, she was named the Northeast Conference’s Scholar Athlete of the Year in women’s basketball.

She averaged a career-high 14.2 points a game for the Terriers, who won the Northeast Conference championship to earn a spot in the NCAA Division I tournament against eventual national champion Connecticut. Benedetti had a career-high 29 points in the NEC title game victory over Robert Morris. She was the MVP of the NEC Tournament.

She was a starter for three of her four years with the St. Francis squad, coming off the bench in her junior season. Benedetti sunk a school-record 280 three-point shots in her collegiate career.

Benedetti is currently in Ireland working on a master’s degree in marketing, consumption and society and playing basketball. She was one of 13 recipients of the Victory Scholarship. The Victory Scholarship, in partnership with the Sports Changes Life Foundation offers post graduates an opportunity to continue their education and play the sport they love in Northern Ireland and Ireland.

Sport Changes Life (SCL), specializes in inspiring young people to excel to their highest level in personal, sporting and academic domains through a unique international scholarship program, the values of sporting excellence and community service.

Benedetti and her St. Francis teammate Katie Fox were recognized with scholarships. “In addition to getting the opportunity to travel and experience a different culture, they will have their graduate educations paid for, they can continue to play the game they love and they will be able to impact the lives of children in Ireland,” St. Francis coach John Thurston said. “To have two women from the same program chosen for this honor makes us very proud.”

Benedetti will be keeping a blog as part of her education in Ireland.

Benedetti graduated from Canton High in 2011. She still holds the girls single game scoring record of 44 points in a win over Platt Tech of Milford in a 2010 Class S tournament game.