Rachael Scoones was a multi-sport student-athlete during her time at SUNY Delhi, being extremely active both on and off the field. From 2018 to 2021, Rachael was a member of the Women’s soccer and Softball teams for four years.
Scoones was also very involved outside of sports, being a member of the North Atlantic Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) as well as the school's first-ever conference representative of the National SAAC.
Rachael was a key part of the Delhi Women's soccer success last year, as she started 16 games in goal. Throughout her four years at Delhi, she posted 1.53 goals allowed on average with 264 career saves. Her accolades include the NAC Defensive Player of the Week and USCAA Goalie of the Week coming in the same week. After the 2020-21 season, Scoones was awarded the 2020 Women’s Division I Soccer Student-Athlete of the Year by USCAA.
While on the softball field, Scoones was always a vocal team leader ready to help wherever she could. She was always respected and a key asset to the team throughout her three seasons.
During her four years with the Broncos, Scoones showed model student-athlete behavior as she was extremely active in her community as well as out on the field and pitch.
Major: Recreation and Sports Facility Management
Hometown: Waterville, NY
Why did you choose Delhi?
"The staff was extremely welcoming, and I fell in love with the campus and all the views. Delhi is not much bigger than my hometown. I knew the class sizes would be small, so I knew that professors would get to know me, and I would get to know them."
What is your favorite thing about your major?
"Recreation and Sports Facility Management gives you all different aspects of the sports industry from running your own facility to coaching, and everything in between. I love that you can take your future career plans and use all your projects and assignments to get more of an understanding in a particular field. "
What is your most memorable moment as a student-athlete?
"There are so many memorable moments to choose from being a student-athlete, from practices to games to teammates and coaches. But I would have to say that my most memorable moment is during the spring season of my junior year, I was playing both soccer and softball, and it was a day where I was going from one practice to another. I was finishing up my soccer practice and I see all my softball teammates and my coaches show up on the track field. It turned out that I was the USCAA Female Student-Athlete of the Year. Just having both teams there and coaches was unbelievable. That moment allowed me to grow as an athlete even more. At the moment all I could think was that my hard work paid off. "
Why should a high school student thinking about college choose Delhi?
"College is four years of your life where you try to figure out what your purpose is in life, what you want to do for a future career. Finding those friends that have been by your side since you stepped foot on campus, and yes, those friends will sometimes know you better than you know yourself. I can assure you that I have experienced every single one of those thoughts. Delhi made it a very easy transition from a high school senior to a college freshman. Delhi is a hands-on school; you will get real-world experiences right from the classroom, not to mention the many certifications you will get before you even graduate college. Delhi has so many opportunities for a student to do. "
Advice from Rachael
"Enjoy your time as an athlete, these past four years have been nothing but the best. You have the ability to play the sport(s) that you love at the next level, and not everyone gets the chance to do that. The effort you put in as a student-athlete will reflect out on the field and in the classroom. Never lose sight of what opportunities you are getting with being a student-athlete."
Women's Soccer Coach Ward’s Take on Rachel:
"Though I was only able to have the opportunity to coach Rachael for a single season, she was able to make a huge impression and set the standard on how Delhi women's soccer players should carry themselves in the classroom and while competing. We talk a lot about being successful in life not just as soccer players. I am excited and look forward to seeing how successful Scooner is going to be and the impact she'll make in the lives of those she is going to work with."
Softball Coach Stone’s Take on Rachel:
"The opportunity to coach Rachael has been a privilege for me. She was my first 4-year student to complete her degree during my time at Delhi. It will be a different atmosphere without her around next year, because of her willingness to assist anyone with whatever they need. Rachael has had a huge impact in helping the SUNY Delhi Softball team get to where we are now, and we thank her for that!"
"Rachael has cemented her legacy at Delhi not only in athletics but also while being our first-ever NCAA SAAC Representative and attending the National Special Olympics this past year. Rachael always pours her heart into everything she does, and I am so excited to be able to continue to watch her grow as she is working in Oneonta, NY at Springbrook. "
