Canton, NY – Natalie Bartle, a member of the SUNY Canton women's basketball team, and Eli Larson, a member of the SUNY Canton men's basketball team, have been earned the SUNY Canton 2025 Outstanding Baccalaureate Graduate Awards and will be recognized on Saturday at SUNY Canton's Commencement.

Bartle became the first SUNY Canton women's basketball player in program history to be named All-Region at the NCAA D-III level and just the second ever student-athlete across all sports in the school's history to be named to a D-III All-Region team. Bartle, a SUNYAC First Team honoree, led the SUNYAC averaging 14.8 points per game and 3.8 steals per game. She also ranked second in the league with 3.9 assists per game and sixth with 7.7 rebounds per outing. She was a two-time SUNYAC Women's Basketball Athlete of the Week (1/13, 2/17) and had seven double-doubles on the season. The senior scored in double figures 20 times and hauled down double-digit rebounds nine times. Bartle score the game-winning basket and free throw in the Roos SUNYAC first round game against Plattsburgh on February 25th, the first SUNYAC playoff win in school history.

Larson, a senior on the men's basketball team, has a 3.96 cumulative GPA and was one of two male student-athletes in the graduating class to earn the highest cumulative GPA award at the department's end-of-year banquet. The Mechatronics Technology major nearly averaged a double-double per game ranking fourth on the team with 11.0 points per game and first with 7.4 rebounds per game on his way to six double-doubles. He also led the team shooting nearly 52 % from the field and blocked a team-best 19 shots.  He ranked fourth in the SUNYAC in both field goal % and rebounds per game, while being named Third Team All-Conference during his junior season.  

Discover SUNY Canton, where innovation meets opportunity. The college's career-focused educational programs emphasize hands-on and applied learning opportunities in digital design, engineering technology, health, information technology, management, public service, and veterinary technology. Faculty members bring real-world experience and exceptional academic expertise to the classroom. As a leader in online education, SUNY Canton offers unmatched flexibility with hundreds of courses and 25 comprehensive degree programs offered completely online. The SUNY Canton Kangaroos compete at the NCAA Division III level and are members of the SUNYAC. In addition to its 15 traditional teams, SUNY Canton offers coed varsity esports and cheerleading.