William Floyd High School seniors Emma DiMaio and Ja’Quan Thomas have been recognized with Suffolk Zone High School Leadership Awards from the New York State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, honoring their achievements as student-athletes, leaders and role models within the school community.
To qualify for the prestigious award, students must maintain at least a 3.0 grade point average through the end of their junior year and earn an overall grade of 90 or higher in physical education classes.
Recipients are also selected based on leadership, character and their ability to positively influence others in both the classroom and athletic settings.
DiMaio and Thomas have each distinguished themselves throughout their high school careers as varsity captains and standout multi-sport athletes while excelling academically.
DiMaio has been a driving force behind the William Floyd girls varsity lacrosse team’s remarkable run of five consecutive playoff appearances. A varsity athlete since middle school, she has represented the Colonials in soccer, basketball, lacrosse and track and field.
She earned All-County honors in both soccer and lacrosse and has been recognized multiple times by Newsday as one of Long Island’s top girls lacrosse players. In addition to athletics, she is active in the school community as a member of Student Government and the National Junior Honor Society.
\DiMaio will attend Stony Brook University in the fall, where she plans to major in communications while continuing her lacrosse career. She attended William Floyd schools from kindergarten through 12th grade, including John S. Hobart Elementary School and William Paca Middle School.
Thomas has built an impressive athletic résumé as a member of the football, basketball and lacrosse programs, becoming one of Suffolk County’s most dominant running backs.
During his football career, he earned Suffolk County and Division I MVP honors, was named the New York Jets High School Offensive Player of the Year in 2024 and received the Joe Cipp Jr. Award multiple times as one of the county’s top running backs. He also earned numerous All-County and All-Long Island honors in football and basketball.
Thomas plans to continue playing football at the collegiate level while deciding on his future college and field of study. Like DiMaio, he attended William Floyd schools from kindergarten through graduation.