In an era where the one-sport specialist is the norm, Dawn Sugrue was a throwback to another time. Whichever sport she attempted, Dawn was very successful, not only on the county level, but statewide and nationally. As a competitor at Ramapo High School, Dawn was the captain of her team and a first- team All-County athlete in all three seasons. In her senior year Dawn was voted as the Scholar-Athlete of the Year at Ramapo High School.
During the fall season Dawn was selected as the All-County goalie in soccer. During her career she had more than 280 saves in goal and was invited to play on the New York State All-Star team and the American Soccer Ambassadors in Europe against other national teams from England, Belgium, Holland and Germany. In the winter Dawn began her varsity basketball career as a sophomore and wound up scoring more than 900 points, earning All-League and first-team All-County recognition as a senior.
In the springtime Dawn went out for track and field and developed into a first-class field specialist. She culminated her high school career as a six-time county champion. In 1990 and 1991 Dawn swept the shot put and discus at the county meet and her 1991 winning shot-put throw of 39 feet 11 inches ranks No. 7 all-time in Rockland. She also was the 1991 Section 1 champion in both events, and also won county javelin titles in 1989 and 1990. Her sweep of the three weight events at the 1990 county meet earned her the Nick Cozza Memorial award as the Most Valuable Performer in the girls’ meet. In her senior year Dawn placed sixth in the New York State meet in the shot put with a throw of 37-11.
After high school, Dawn was recruited by Coach Steve Baxter of Dominican College to play basketball. Being comfortable with competing year round, Dawn also played goalie on Dominican’s soccer team and, since Dominican didn’t have a track team, she played one year as the catcher on the varsity softball team. In soccer Dawn was voted captain of the team at Dominican College and in one NCAA Division I soccer game she had 32 saves on goal in a 2-0 loss and Dominican had no shots on goal.
But it was on the basketball court that Dawn made her mark. As a four-year starter on the basketball team, she tallied 1,239 points for the Lady Chargers, putting her in the top 10 of all-time scorers. Dawn added 400 assists during her career and pulled down 959 rebounds, putting her in the top six on the all-time rebound list for Dominican. She was twice named to the NAIA All-Tournament team and in her senior year was voted captain of the basketball team and earned All-NAIA
Division II status.
Coach Baxter described Dawn as “a versatile player who performs well in pressure situations. A dedicated athlete, her leadership and experience plays a vital role in the team’s success.” For her efforts in soccer and basketball, Dawn was voted into the Dominican College Hall of Fame in 2004.
After graduation from Dominican in 1995 with a nursing degree, Dawn entered the work world and continued to make her mark upon the community. In 2008 she was awarded the Press Ganey award for patient satisfaction at Nyack Hospital as the Emergency Room Assistant Manager. In 2010 Dawn was given the New York Presbyterian Quality Symposium Award for advanced research in redefining the triage model in an emergency room. Also in 2010 as the Assistant Nurse Manager and Professional Development Coordinator at Nyack Hospital, Dawn was selected as one of “40 under 40, Rockland County’s Rising Stars.” This award is given to people younger than 40 who are making their mark on Rockland County in positive ways through their commitment to growth, development, professional excellence and their community at large. In winning the award Dawn was quoted as saying, “Patient satisfaction and patient safety within the community is a priority for me. That was the impetus when I implemented a 30-minute service standard at Nyack Hospital, living by the motto, ‘Your emergency is our emergency.’”
Dawn currently lives in Valley Cottage with her partner, Joan Neuendorf, a fellow Rockland County Hall of Famer, and their three children: Aedan, 10, and twins Jack and Hunter, 8.
