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18th Annual Scholar-Athlete Awards
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2003-2004 CUNY Athletic Conference |
2003-2004 CUNY Scholar-Athletes of the YearELENA DADANINA • Kingsborough Community College
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TIFFANIE CLARKE • Hunter College
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SANTIAGO HELMAN • City College Of New York
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ABDOULAHAT DIOP • Manhattan Community College
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2002-2003 Results: Scholar-Athletes
17th-Annual-Scholar-Athlete-Awards 2001-2002 Results: Scholar-Athletes 16th-Annual-Scholar-Athlete-Awards 2000-2001 Results: Scholar-Athletes |
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Being one of the top Division III junior college tennis players in the country notwithstanding, Elena
Dadanina is also a valedictorian nominee for graduation at Kingsborough next month due to a
cumulative 4.0 GPA. A liberal arts major, Dadanina is fresh off an appearance in last week’s NJCAA
Women’s Tennis Championships, finishing as the national runner up at the number one doubles
flight with partner Dominka Bajuk after winning the Region XV title in the fall. Individually, she
finished second in the Region and reached the national quarterfinals at the #2 singles flight. A native
of Russia before coming to the United States at age 10, Elena has already been accepted to Baruch for
the fall where she plans to study Public Policy. Reared in Brooklyn, Elena played tennis at Brooklyn
Technical High School before leaving school for personal reasons. She enrolled at KCC in the fall of
2002 after earning her GED and decided not to play tennis in her freshman year, citing a 20-credit
workload. After concentrating on academics last year, Elena really enjoyed the tennis experience this
season, “I really never liked playing doubles before,” she said. “But playing with Dominika has really
changed my perspective.” This spring, along with her teammate, the duo became the Wave’s first ever
female All-Americans.
It sounds like a line, but Tiffanie Clarke, a 22-year old native of Trinidad, had such a terrific year we
all wish it could continue. A true talent at all aspects of her life, Tiffanie refuses to back down from
a challenge - whether it comes from her commute to school, her internship, academics or, lastly,
athletics. First she starts her day with a 1:15 commute to Hunter from her family’s Staten Island
home; then she manages to maintain a 3.33 GPA in Political Science in the classroom. Athletically,
she has competed for the Hawks since 2001 in cross country, helping Hunter win one CUNYAC
championship, along with indoor and outdoor track. Following a rigorous summer routine with her
club sprint coach, Tiffanie broke the Hunter records in the 55 and 60 meter dashes. She became a first
time All-American in March in the 55 meter dash, by finishing 5th at the NCAA Championships.
Tiffanie recently won the gold medal at the CUNYAC Indoor championships in February. Off the
track, the former Erasmus Hall High School class valedictorian (2000) recently began an internship
for Manhattan City Councilman Bill Perkins. In her spare time, she also volunteers with the All-Stars
Project Inc. as a host for youth events and was a recipient of the Young Leader for Change Award.
She plans to attend law school in 2005, after finally finding the time to study for the LSAT this fall.
Upon his arrival to New York City from Buenos Aires, Argentina in the summer of 1999 at the age of
23, Santiago Helman knew little English. He moved to Jackson Heights, Queens and worked at
restaurants for about a year, while learning enough to begin classes at City College and to begin work
at an Engineering firm. Four years later, he’s one of the most accomplished soccer players in CCNY
soccer history. In three years in uniform, the Beavers were 35-13-3 overall and 27-4-3 in CUNYAC
play. CCNY reached the CUNY championship game in all three of his seasons, winning once this past
fall, and qualified for two ECAC (2001, 2002) and one NCAA Tournament (2003). Individually, he
moved up the CUNYAC ladder quickly, earning the Rookie of the Year in 2001, a first Team All-
Conference selection in 2002 and Player of the Year honors in 2003. “This season was thrilling with
Osborne Carter coaching us,” the two-time team captain said. “His knowledge of the game was
outstanding and the team made the sacrifices that it takes to be successful.” Meanwhile, Santiago
owns a 3.70 GPA in Civil Engineering and plans to pursue graduate studies in Civil Engineering at
CCNY or Columbia in the fall. In 2003, he received the Edward J. Maloney Scholarship issued by the
A NJCAA Region XV first team all-star in 2003, Abdoulahat Diop has sacrificed everything to be
successful in life. He came to Manhattan from Senegal in April of 2000 without the comfort of
immediate relatives. Abdoulahat began working full-time to save money for college. He enrolled at
BMCC in 2002 and in his freshman season was not able to find the time to play soccer, a sport he
played back home since he can remember. Abdoulahat now works in a Manhattan parking garage 50-
60 hours a week to make ends meet, despite substantial support from family members in France,
Italy and Spain. “I am only able to get four hours of sleep a night, due to my work and school schedule.
It’s not easy, but this year I played soccer for my future.” Abdoulahat currently holds a 3.63 GPA in
Engineering Science, earning an NJCAA Region XV Academic Award (2003) and a BMCC Faculty
Honor Award (Spring and Fall 2002). On the soccer field, he controls the midfield, Abdoulahat helped
lead the Panthers to the CUNYAC title game last September. On the season, he scored only three
points on one goal and an assist, but head coach Kenechi Yatsuhashi can attest to anyone about the
unmistakable value of his speedy midfielder.