Standout Poughkeepsie Student Athlete Earns The Jack Bauman Scholarship

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY — A Dutchess County student athlete's prowess on the soccer field will help make her transition to college life a little easier.

Poughkeepsie resident Courtney Foltz has received a Jack Bauman Scholarship from the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association. The award recognizes success in high school as well as community service, according to the organization,

Foltz graduated from Arlington High School as valedictorian. She was also a National Honor Society member and an AP Scholar With Distinction. On the field, she served as team captain of the girls varsity soccer team, where the Admirals won three Sectional titles and reached the state final during her time with the program.

She also was a team captain at Quickstrike FC and volunteered with numerous non-profits in Dutchess County, according to the announcement. The organization said her service included teaching Bible study and playing on a Unified Bowling team.

In her scholarship essay, Foltz wrote, “Soccer has taught me leadership is not about being perfect, it is about showing up for people when things are hard. After tearing my ACL, I remember wondering if I would ever feel like myself on the field again. Coming back from that injury made every practice, bus ride, warm-up and game more meaningful. Soccer was no longer just a sport to me, it became something I had fought to keep…I have given my full heart to my school, my team and my community, and I will carry that same heart into college.”

The scholarship is named for Jack Bauman, who the association described as the father of women’s soccer on Long Island. According to the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association, Bauman was devoted to the Massapequa Soccer Club and Eastern New York.

The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association serves more than 100,000 youth soccer players and more than 25,000 volunteers. The non-profit’s territory stretches from Montauk Point on Long Island to the Canadian border, east of Route 81, according to the organization. ENYYSA said it offers soccer at multiple levels, including intramural, travel team and premier play, as well as programs for Children With Special Needs