ANNAPOLIS, Md. – UAlbany softball graduate student Morgan Petty has been named the America East Woman of the Year, as announced by the conference at its annual awards banquet on Wednesday evening.
Petty is the first UAlbany student-athlete to claim the award since 2020, when softball’s Kelly Barkevich won. Overall she is the fifth Great Dane to be named Woman of the Year. This award 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 two-time America East Player of the Year concluded her career by delivering UAlbany its first America East Championship since 2018. She was also a two-time NFCA All-Region selection and was honored as first-team all-conference each of her three final seasons.
Petty started all 186 games in which she played, finishing with a .357 career average as well as 206 hits, 154 RBI, 142 runs, 36 doubles and 33 home runs. The graduate student closed out her career with three hits at the America East Tournament, including two in the championship, and three RBI with a triple at the NCAA Bryan-College Station Regional.
Petty earned a BA in Communication with a 3.36 GPA and completed her MA in Communication with a 3.9 GPA this past May.
A leader on the field, in the classroom, and in the community, Petty has been involved with the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for all five years at UAlbany. A two-time America East All-Academic honoree, she was the 2023-24 SAAC President and a co-founder of the student mental health organization, The Hidden Opponent.
The nine nominees for the 2024 America East Woman of the Year award were announced on May 20. Three finalists, which included Petty, Aria Myers of NJIT and Maine’s Anne Simon were announced on Tuesday, May 28.
America East began honoring a Woman of the Year in 2006 . All-Time America East Man & Woman of the Year Award Listing.
ABOUT AMERICA EAST
Founded in 1979, the America East Conference is an elite NCAA Division I athletic conference that fosters an environment for student-athletes to become champions. Comprised of academically renowned, like-minded member institutions located in the Northeast region of the United States, America East is committed to broad-based excellence and progressive in its approach to supporting its more than 3,500 student-athletes across 18 sponsored sports. For more information, visit www.AmericaEast.com and follow the America East Conference and its social media channels, @AmericaEast.
- America East Conference – Where Champions Rise –