Cayuga’s Borges Wins SUNY Scholar-Athlete Award

Cayuga Community College Men's Basketball forward Tony Borges was one of 23 student-athletes recognized this spring for combining academic accomplishment with athletic success.

 

Borges, a Criminal Justice: Police major and member of Cayuga's Class of 2025, received the SUNY Winter Scholar Athlete of the Year Award for the 2024-25 winter season. The awards were announced during the Spring 2025 semester.

 

"I'm honored and blessed to receive this award out of all the nominated student-athletes. I'm very proud of my hard work in the classroom and on the court," said Borges.

 

"It's a great award for one of my student-athletes to earn, let alone it being my son who received it. It's a great honor," said Coach Tony Borges, who is the head coach for the Spartans Men's Basketball team.

A two-year starter for the Spartans, Borges led Cayuga with 15 points and 10 rebounds per game as a freshman in 2023-24. He followed that up with another stellar season in 2024-25, averaging 16 points and 10 rebounds. Both seasons saw him earn postseason honors from the Mid-State Athletic Conference, and he also earned accolades from Region III for his sophomore year.

 

Borges excelled in the classroom as well, graduating magna cum laude and finishing his time at Cayuga with a 3.59 GPA. He was on the College's academic accolades list each semester and also tutored other students in Cayuga's Learning Commons.

 

The SUNY Scholar Athlete of the Year Awards recognize academic and athletic accomplishment in 29 different sports, with students nominated based on grade point average, current and career statistics, and athletic and academic accolades. Representatives from participating institutions vote on recipients.

 

More than 14,000 student-athletes across 53 SUNY institutions participating in athletics at the NCAA Division I, NCAA Division III and NJCAA level are eligible for the SUNY Scholar Athlete of the Year Awards.

 

Borges is transferring to SUNY Morrisville to earn his bachelor's degree and continue playing basketball.