Collins Named 2025 Capital District Sportswoman of the Year
CONTACT: Adam Sopris, a.sopris@hvcc.edu,(518) 629-7898 or (518) 416-2137
FOR RELEASE: Immediate, Tuesday, July 15, 2025
Hudson Valley Community College softball standout and NJCAA All-American, Moira Collins (Troy, NY / Tamarac) has been selected as a 2025 Capital District Sports Woman of the Year (CDSWOY). The award recognizes Collins' achievements in academics, athletics and community service during her tenure at HVCC.
The annual CDSWOY Awards Gala Event is Monday, August 4, 2025, at the GE Theatre at Proctors, 432 State St., Schenectady. The event is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. with a private reception for the award recipients at 6 p.m. The Gala is open to the public and tickets are now available for $25 on the Proctors website (https://www.atproctors.org/event/capital-district-sports-women-of-the-year-awards-gala-3/).
The Capital District Sports Women of the Year Awards Gala honors the best and the brightest young women in the region. High School and College female student-athletes are honored for excellence in academics, athletics and community service. The event features performances by Angelina Valente, and virtual guest speaker Emma Baccellieri of Sports Illustrated.
"Mo has always been a hard worker and a great teammate as she leads by example and is one of the hardest workers I have ever coached," said Coach Rick Tedisco, former HVCC head softball coach. "Mo puts the team ahead of everything else and she is going to do great things at Southern Connecticut and in her life." Tedisco continued, "It has been a pleasure for me to watch her grow into the person she is today."
Collins completed her two-year career at Hudson Valley and is set to continue her athletic and academic career at the Southern Connecticut University in the Fall. Collins leaves Hudson Valley with a 25-11 record and 273 career strikeouts over 198.1 innings pitched and a 1.84 earned run average. She ranks second in program history with 25 wins, 198.1 innings pitched and 273 strikeouts. Her career ERA of 1.84 ranks third in program history.
Her 2025 season was historic as she finished the year with a 14-5 record, a NJCAA-leading 1.57 ERA and 133 strikeouts. In response, she was recognized by the coaching peers as an NJCAA First Team All-American, the NJCAA Region 3 Player of the Year and the Mountain Valley Conference Player of the Year. Collins became the first Vikings softball student-athlete to be named a First Team NJCAA All-American since Tracy Cheesebrough accomplished the feat in 2007. Cheesebrough is the program's all-time leader in wins (47), strikeouts (678), innings pitched (379.2) and earned run average (1.23). The National Fastpitch Coaching Association (NFCA) also recognized Collins for her success and named her as an NFCA 2025 First Team All-American.
In June, Collins was recognized as a recipient of the State University of New York (SUNY) Spring Scholar Athlete of the Year, which recognized 28 student-athletes from SUNY colleges and universities sponsoring intercollegiate athletics at the four- and two-year levels who were nominated and voted upon by representatives of their respective institutions.
Moira was also awarded the highest HVCC department of athletics honor as she was named the 2025 President's Award, which is presented to student-athletes whose hard work, determination, hustle, and attitude have made valuable contributions to their team, the athletic department, and the college community.