Kristen Candelaria '17

Kristen Candelaria '17 wraps up an extensive athletic career at SJC Brooklyn as a four-sport student-athlete — competing on the women's basketball, softball, soccer and cross country teams.

On the hardwood, Candelaria was named team co-captain and started all but six games in her last two seasons. The 5-foot-9 forward led the 2016-17 Bears in blocks (28), raising her career total to 67, which ranks seventh in program history. Candelaria also placed second on the 2016-17 squad in rebounds per game (7.0) and is fourth all-time in offensive rebounds (210).

As a three-year member of the softball team, Candelaria finished a career .305 hitter. During sophomore campaign in 2015, she hit .400 and drove in 11 runs, helping the 23-20 Bears qualify for the seventh USCAA National Championships appearance in program history.

Despite never having played soccer competitively, the well-rounded athlete joined the women's soccer team her junior year, finding the back of the net twice in her first ever collegiate game. She served as team captain her senior season, during which she transitioned from a field player to the team's primary goalkeeper. Candelaria recorded a single-season Bears record 182 saves and ranked fifth in Division III averaging 16.0 saves per game in 2016.

As a cross country runner, Candelaria was the top finisher for the Bears at the 2016 Skyline Conference Championships and the St. Joseph's Invitational. She also collected Skyline Rookie of the Week honors in her junior campaign in 2015.

Off the track, trails, court and field, Candelaria maintained over a 3.5 cumulative GPA during her four-year career and was named to the Bears Scholar-Athlete Team, the Skyline Academic Honor Roll and the USCAA National All-Academic Team. She served as the Bears' 2016-17 Student-Athlete Advisory Committee president and was one of 40 student-athletes chosen to attend the Division III Student-Immersion Program at the NCAA Convention in January 2016.

Candelaria graduated with a B.S. in Criminal Justice and plans to pursue a career with the NYPD.