BOSTON - The America East Conference announced today that University of Maine’s Liz Wood (basketball), UMass Lowell’s Kelly Freitas (field hockey) and University of New Hampshire’s Victoria Forrest have been named finalists for the 2015-2016 America East Woman of the Year award. The 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.


Liz Wood, Maine - Basketball

• Graduated as a biology major with a pre-med concentration and chemistry minor with a 3.95 GPA.
• Two-time America East women’s basketball Scholar-Athlete, 2014-15 Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
• 2015-16 CoSIDA Academic All-American.
• Two-time America East All-Academic selection.
• Three-time Maine Presidential Scholar.
• America East national SAAC representative.
• Volunteers with Toys for Tots, Ronald McDonald House and Special Olympics amongst others.
• Four time America East All-Conference performer; led Maine to pair of America East regular-season titles.

Kelly Freitas, UMass Lowell – Field Hockey

• Received a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in graphic design while maintaining a 3.68 GPA.
• Earned UMass Lowell’s Chancellor’s Medal for Student Service and the Laurie A. Mann Award for Academic and Athletic Excellence, Leadership and Service.
• America East All-Academic selection and three-time honor roll recipient.
• Four-time member of NFHCA Division I National Academic Squad.
• Team IMPACT ambassador.
• UMass Lowell SAAC President and America East liaison.
• Advocate for numerous causes including the Norris Colton Cancer Center.
• Four-year member of UMass Lowell’s field hockey team.

Victoria Forrest, New Hampshire

• Earned a 3.70 GPA while graduating with a dual degree in business management and accounting.
• Two-time America East volleyball Scholar-Athlete.
• Three-time America East All-Academic honoree.
• Volunteer with multiple organizations. 
• Three-time first-team All-Conference recipient.
• Led UNH to three America East titles and three NCAA appearances as a co-captain.

The three finalists were selected from a pool of the 10 America East institutional nominations, which were announced on May 16. To be nominated, student-athletes must have completed intercollegiate eligibility in her primary sport by the end of the 2016 spring season, received her undergraduate degree prior to the conclusion of the summer 2016 term and had a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 2.500 (4.000 scale). The 2015-16 America East Woman of the Year will be announced on Tuesday, June 7 at the conference’s annual awards dinner in Burlington, Vt., the site of the conference’s Annual Meeting, as well as via a news release on www.AmericaEast.com.

The America East Woman of the Year will 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 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year. 

About America East: The America East provides its member schools and their athletic programs a platform upon which student-athletes can achieve both collegiate and life success through the promotion and nurturing of athletic excellence, academic achievement and leadership, on and off the field.