Ross, Leath and Millar Selected As Conference's Woman of the Year Finalists - AmericaEast.com
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - America East Commissioner Patrick Nero announced today that University at Albany’s Ashley Ross (field hockey/women’s lacrosse), Boston University’s Christy Leath (softball) and University of Vermont’s Kristen Millar (women’s lacrosse) have been named finalists for the 2009 America East Woman of the Year award. 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, athletics excellence, service and leadership.
Ross (Lancaster, Pa.) was a two-year team captain for the 2008 America East Champion Albany field hockey team, which made its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance this year, and was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player last fall as the starting goalkeeper. She is the program’s all-time leader in saves (318) and shutouts (15) after shutting out five opponents in 22 starts in 2008. Also a member of the women’s lacrosse team this spring, Ross was a three-time field hockey all-conference honoree and an all-rookie team member in 2005. In 2007, she was named to the National Field Hockey Coaches’ Association (NFHCA) Regional Second Team.
The NFHCA also recognized Ross for her academic excellence, naming her to the National Academic Squad in each of her four years. She was a Dean’s List student-athlete, named to the America East All-Academic Team each season since she was eligible and was a University at Albany Athletic Director’s Honor Roll and America East Commissioner’s Honor Roll member since her freshman year. Ross, a communications major with a 3.70 grade-point average, was inducted into both the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and Lambda Pi Eta, the society for communicators. At Albany’s end of year banquet, she was awarded the ECAC Merit Medal as the school’s top senior female student-athlete and the James E. Lowe ?82 Memorial Scholarship.
Ross was also active in the community, both on campus and off campus. She was a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) as a senior, serving on the SAAC Executive Committee, and participated in UAlbany Day 2009 and the annual Campus Clean Up. Ross coached local high school field hockey programs 2-3 hours a week throughout her collegiate career, and also taught physical education classes at Smoketown Elementary School for eight weeks out of the year, 25 hours per week.
Leath (Saint Charles, Mo.) served as a two-time co-captain for the 2009 America East Champion Boston University softball team, and led the Terriers to their most successful season, amassing a program-record 43 wins in 2009 and advancing to the NCAA Regionals for the first time since 2003. As the team’s starting catcher, she is the career leader in walks (119) and ranks in the top 10 in career RBIs (5th, 113), career at-bats (5th, 599), career home runs (T-5th, 16), career hits (7th, 171) and career runs (7th, 101). Leath is a three-time All-Conference honors recipient and was the 2007 America East Player of the Year in addition to receiving regional honors from the ECAC and National Fastpitch Coaches’ Association (NFCA).
Leath owns a 3.49 GPA in therapeutic studies and was named to the America East All-Academic Team each of the three years she was eligible, including 2006-07 when she was the America East Softball Scholar Athlete of the Year. She graduated with Cum Laude Honors earlier this month and has already been accepted into Boston U.’s Masters of Science in Occupational Therapy Program. Leath is a member of the Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitative Sciences Honor Society and was a Scarlet Key Award Recipient recognizing her senior leadership and service.
Leath participated in the Boston U. SAAC chapter for three years and served on the Executive Committee her senior year as the Community Service Coordinator. She’s volunteered her time for many Boston area organizations, including the Jeanne Jugan Residence, the Perkins School for the Blind and the Jewish Family & Children’s Services CHAI program. Leath organized the student-athlete involvement at the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk in 2008 and ran in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. She also served as the volunteer coach for the Special Olympics track at Newton North High School.
Millar (Whitby, Ontario) was a four-time team MVP as a midfielder for the University of Vermont women’s lacrosse team, and a team captain since 2007. She owns nearly every program record, as well as the NCAA record for career draw controls, and was named UVM’s top female senior athlete, earning the J. Edward Donnelly Award at the department’s end of year banquet. Millar is a two-time America East All-Championship Team member, two-time WomensLacrosse.com All-American and three-time IWLCA Regional All-American. In her senior campaign, Millar was a unanimous selection to the America East First Team and All-Academic Team. She’s served on multiple levels of the Canadian National Team, including the 2007 U19 National Team where she earned World Cup All-World Team accolades.
For the second straight year, Millar was named to the ESPN The Magazine, CoSIDA All-District At-Large Team with a 3.64 GPA in elementary education. The Dean’s List student earned a spot on the America East Academic Honor Roll as a freshman and on the Commissioner’s Honor Roll, for a GPA of 3.5 or higher, as a sophomore and junior. In 2008, Millar was also named to the IWLCA Academic Honor Roll.
Off the field and out of the classroom, Millar has spent much time serving as the SAAC Committee Outreach Leader and serving her community. She volunteered with the Vermont Special Olympics as a Team Leader and taught youngsters the importance of fitness as a representative of the Get 60 program. Millar was also a camp counselor for the UVM Adventure Day Camp, a 40 hour per week commitment for eight weeks out of the year.
The three finalists were selected from a pool of the 11 America East institutional nominations, which were announced on May 5. To be nominated, student-athletes must have completed intercollegiate eligibility in her primary sport by the end of the 2009 spring season, received her undergraduate degree prior to the conclusion of the summer 2009 term and had a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 2.500 (4.000 scale).
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.
The 2009 America East Woman of the Year will be announced on Tuesday, June 9 at the conference’s Annual Meetings in Burlington, Vermont, as well as via a news release on www.AmericaEast.com.
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 CWA will vote from among the top nine to determine the 2009 NCAA Woman of the Year.
Year-by-Year America East Woman of the Year Honorees
2008 Sarah Hudak, Boston U. (field hockey)
2007 Marisa Ryan, Boston U. (cross country/track & field)
2006 Ashlee Reed, Albany (volleyball)