Complete Release

EAST STROUDSBURG - East Stroudsburg University student-athletes Chris Bach and Domineque Scott are recipients of the Academic Momentum Award, which is presented by the National Consortium for Academics and Sports (NCAS).

Scott, a senior field hockey player, is the female Academic Momentum Award winner representing the Mid-Atlantic Region. Bach is a junior on the men's basketball team and is the male runner-up in the region.

Both student-athletes were nominated by Nancy Jo Greenawalt, ESU's Academic Coordinator for Intercollegiate Athletics, for their ability to persevere in difficult situations and succeed academically and athletically at East Stroudsburg University.

Scott was adopted and grew up in a bi-racial family in Milton, Delaware, where she endured the constant questioning of how she could be black and her mother white. Despite this adversity, her family stayed together and encouraged each other to pursue their dreams.

Domineque's father was her strongest supporter and was steadfast in his desire for her to get a college education, accompanying her on recruiting visits and helping her prepare for the SAT's. Two weeks after she signed her letter of intent to attend ESU, her father suffered a stroke, and he passed away three days later.

Her first year at ESU was tumultuous, as she succeeded academically but struggled with being away from home. She returned to campus as a sophomore and began to emerge as a leader for the field hockey team while deciding to pursue a degree in Sport Management. Now a senior, she is making plans to attend graduate school and is fulfilling her father's dream for her in earning her college degree.

Chris Bach's journey to ESU was a lengthy one which began in 1996-97, when he was a member of the basketball team at Philadelphia University as a freshman out of Harry S Truman High School in Levittown. He did well academically but was not motivated to be in college, and decided to leave school with plans to return in a year.

That year quickly became 10 years, and after a decade away from college, he made a commitment to return to school and enrolled at ESU in the summer of 2006. Last year he was a Dean's List student both semesters and he currently has a 3.81 grade-point average as a Sport Management major.

Bach's ability to provide guidance and perspective to his teammates was displayed this fall, when they lost their close friend, Jeff Dailey, in a fire at an off-campus apartment where he lived with two members of the basketball team. As the team captain, his steadiness during a very difficult time has been instrumental to the team's healing process.

Domineque Scott and Chris Bach are two of 40 student-athletes who were nominated from colleges and universities across the nation.

The NCAS was founded in 1985 and is an organization of colleges and universities that provides opportunities for current and former student-athletes to continue their pursuit of higher education.