PORTLAND, Maine -- Boston University cross country and track and field standout Katie Matthews received the 2013 America East Woman of the Year award Tuesday evening at the conference’s annual awards dinner in Portland, Maine. The honor recognizes the conference’s senior female student-athlete who has best distinguished herself throughout her collegiate career in the areas of academic achievement, athletic excellence, service and leadership.
The conference’s Senior Woman Administrators narrowed the pool of nine institutional Woman of the Year nominees down to three finalists on May 31, and chose Matthews as the conference winner. The other finalists were University of Hartford women’s soccer student-athlete Caitlin Alves and University of Maine cross country and track and field student-athlete Corey Conner.
To be nominated, student-athletes must have completed intercollegiate eligibility in her primary sport by the end of the 2013 spring season, received her undergraduate degree prior to the conclusion of the summer 2013 term and had a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 2.500 (4.000 scale).
Matthews will now be forwarded to the NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee to be considered for the 2013 NCAA Woman of the Year. 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 CWA will vote from among the top nine to determine the 2013 NCAA Woman of the Year.
Matthews, a native of Rocky Hill, Conn., has been an active member of the Boston University community in both community service initiatives and campus activities. She is a three-year member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee while also being very active in the schools College for Every Student program. She also is a peer tutor and has been a guest speaker at a high school running camp over the past six years. Matthews also has participated in the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, solicited donations for the Lupus Foundation, assisted at the Special Olympics Swim Meet and was part of the Holiday Reading Program.
While balancing her athletics, leadership and community service projects, Matthews has been able to maintain at 3.70 GPA as a Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences major. Her academic status has led her to be named to the America East Commissioner’s Honor Roll five times, is a three-time member of the America East All-Academic team and was named an America East Winter Scholar-Athlete this year. She is a Sargent College Honor Society Member and graduated magna cum laude in May.
Matthews was equally impressive as a competitor, earning first team USTFCCCA All-America honors in 2011 and 2013 in indoor track and in 2012 in outdoor track. She is a three-time first team all-conference honoree as well, while earning a spot on the 2012 Under-23 U.S. Olympic team. She is the school record holder in the indoor 3,000m run and both the indoor and outdoor 5,000m run. To add to that, Matthews is a 12-time America East Track Performer of the Week and also was named Boston University’s Woman of the Year for 2012-13.
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 NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics (CWA) started receiving conference-designated nominees in lieu of the previous institution- and state-based nomination format.
Year-by-Year America East Woman of the Year Honorees
2013 Katie Matthews, Boston University (cross country/track & field)
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)