Danahy Receives 2022 Angel Award as AHA Athletes Earn Honors

Varsity lacrosse and basketball player Emily Danahy of Oradell received the Academy of the Holy Angels’ prestigious Angel Award in recognition of her exceptional spirit, dedication, and leadership. Danahy was one of six 2022 AHA graduates who were honored at the June 13 Parents’ Athletic Association Spring Sports Awards Dinner at Seasons in Washington Township.

AHA Athletic Director Patti Gorsuch announced Danahy’s win, noting this Angel’s willingness to give her all to her sport and her team.

“She never really cared about personal stats or league awards. It was always about the team; about having fun; about doing everything to win,” Gorsuch said.

Danahy was recognized for her ability to bring her teammates together and her commitment to encouraging younger players. She earned seven varsity letters and honors that include First Team All-County, First Team All-League, and All-State Non-Public Player of the Year awards. She maintained an excellent grade point average, and served as an Angel Ambassador. Danahy is a member of the National Honor Society, and the national art and social studies honor societies. She is also an active volunteer in her community. Last fall, she signed with Siena College.

Tennis star Brooke Hess of Cedar Grove received the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Scholar Athlete Award and the Bergen County Women Coaches Association Scholarship. Hess has won two county titles at second singles and was named First Team All-League, First Team All-County, Finalist for NorthJersey.com Girls Tennis Player of the Year, First Team All Non-Public, First Singles Third Team All-Flight, First Team All North Jersey, and First Team All-State. Her team earned two Bergen County Championships. In 2021, she played in the State Singles Semifinals.

During her time as an Angel, Hess received the Nonna Dunphy Scholarship and the Marilyn Kirschner History Award. She is a member of the National Honor Society, and the national honor societies for students who excel in their studies of French, math, business, and social studies. She was one of AHA’s first DECA members to qualify for international competition. Before her graduation, she received the Student Council School Service Award for her work as president of the AHA Student Council. This September, she will play tennis for Dartmouth College. 

The Academy has chosen to honor Danahy and Hess by retiring their jerseys.

Caelan McHugh and Eliza Hoover received this year’s BCWCA Multi-Sport Award.

McHugh, a resident of Sparkill, New York, has been a member of the varsity soccer, basketball, and track teams at AHA. She served as captain of the AHA Soccer Team, and plays for a club team. As a junior, and again as a senior, she earned First Team All-League in the Big North Conference. This September, she will play soccer for the University of Rhode Island.

Hoover, who lives in Mahwah, recently signed with Gettysburg College, where she will run track as she studies business, management, and organizations. She has run varsity cross-country and track and played varsity soccer during her high school years. She has been invited to the Meet of Champions and earned most valuable player honors as she garnered All-League and All-County recognition. Hoover also helped AHA win its first Penn Wheel at the Penn Relays.

This year’s PAA Scholarships were presented to Caelan McHugh and Claire Cook.

Cook is a standout pitcher with the AHA Varsity Softball Team. This year, Cook helped her team reach the state tournament. In the first round, she demonstrated her excellent pitching and hit a clutch grand slam. Cook is a resident of Palisades, New York, and is bound for Providence College. As an Angel, she was inducted into the National Honor Society and the Spanish National Honor Society.

Big North Student Athlete Awards went to Danahy, Hess, Cook, Hoover, McHugh, and Julianna Sirico.

Sirico, who resides in River Vale, is a varsity soccer player. She recently signed with Franklin and Marshall College, where she will study applied mathematics. Sirico is a member of the National Honor Society and Math National Honor Society, and served AHA as an Angel Ambassador.

Founded by the School Sisters of Notre Dame in 1879, the Academy of the Holy Angels is the oldest private girls’ school in Bergen County. While AHA is steeped in Catholic tradition, this prestigious school serves young women from many cultural and religious backgrounds. AHA’s current leaders continue to further the SSND mission to provide each student with the tools she needs to reach the fullness of her potential—spiritually, intellectually, socially, and physically, by offering a first-rate education in a nurturing environment where equal importance is placed on academic excellence, character development, moral integrity, and service to others.