CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Nine institutional nominees for the 2013 America East Woman of the Year award have been announced by the conference office. University at Albany’s Julie Forster (basketball), Binghamton University’s Jessica Phillips (softball) and Alexandrea Roland (volleyball), Boston University’s Katie Matthews (cross country/track & field), University of Hartford’s Caitlin Alves (soccer), University of New Hampshire’s Emma Erler (field hockey), Stony Brook University’s Greta Strenger (volleyball), UMBC’s Raven Harris (basketball) and University of Vermont’s Julie McGlipin (cross country/track & field) have been chosen as the senior female student-athletes on their respective campuses that best exemplified a commitment to service, leadership, athletics and academics during their collegiate careers.
To be nominated, student-athletes must have completed intercollegiate eligibility in her primary sport by the end of the 2013 spring season or received her undergraduate degree prior to the conclusion of the summer 2013 term and have a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 2.500 (4.000 scale).
The nominees will be narrowed down to three finalists on Tuesday, May 21 via a release on the conference web site with the America East Woman of the Year being announced at the conference’s Annual Meeting in Portland, Maine on Tuesday, June 4.
The America East Woman of the Year will then be forwarded to the NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee. The selection committee will select the top 10 winners in each NCAA division (I, II and III). From among those 30 honorees, the selection committee will determine the top three in each division. Finally, the members of the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics (CWA) will vote from among the top nine to determine the 2013 NCAA Woman of the Year.
In conjunction with the changes in the nomination process for the NCAA Woman of the Year award, the America East Woman of the Year award was established for the 2005-06 athletic season. Beginning in 2006, the CWA started receiving conference-designated nominees in lieu of the previous institution- and state-based nomination format.
2013 Institutional Woman of the Year Nominees
Nominee School Sport Hometown
Julie Forster Albany Basketball Huntington, N.Y.
Jessica Phillips Binghamton Softball Cicero, N.Y.
Alexandrea Roland Binghamton Volleyball Austin, Texas
Katie Matthews Boston U. Cross Country/Track & Field Rocky Hill, Conn.
Caitlin Alves Hartford Soccer Ludlow, Mass.
Emma Erler New Hampshire Field Hockey New Hampton, N.H.
Greta Strenger Stony Brook Volleyball Woodbury, Minn.
Raven Harris UMBC Basketball Virginia Beach, Va.
Julie McGilpin Vermont Cross Country/Track & Field Westfield, Mass.
Year-by-Year America East Woman of the Year Honorees
2012 Lucy Van Dalen, Stony Brook (cross country/track & field)
2011 Nikki Branchini, Albany (lacrosse)
2010 Emily Pallotta, Boston U. (soccer)
2009 Kristen Millar, Vermont (lacrosse)
2008 Sarah Hudak, Boston U. (field hockey)
2007 Marisa Ryan, Boston U. (cross country/track & field)
2006 Ashlee Reed, Albany (volleyball)