MAAC Nominates Two Student-Athletes for NCAA Woman of the Year
MAAC Sports
Edison, N.J. – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference announces Saint Peter University’s Renee Brzyski and Siena College’s Lesli Akeo as the conference’s nominees for the 2013 NCAA Woman of the Year Award.
To be eligible for the NCAA Woman of the Year award nominee must have completed intercollegiate eligibility in her primary sport by the end of the 2012-13 competitive season and received her undergraduate degree prior to the conclusion of the summer 2013 term. Nominees must also have a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale.
The top 10 honorees and the nine finalists from Divisions I, II and III and the 2013 NCAA Woman of the Year will be honored at a dinner in Indianapolis October 20, 2013.
Brzyski, a native of Belle Mead, N.J., helped lead the Peacocks to three indoor MAAC Championship titles (2011, 2012 & 2013) and two outdoor MAAC Championship titles (2011 & 2012). She was the conference champion at the 2012 and 2013 MAAC Indoor Track and Field Championships in the 60m hurdles while setting a new conference record both times. Brzyski is also the school record holder in the Pentathlon with 3,448 points and the Heptathlon with 4,964 points.
In the classroom, Brzyski, a sociology major specializing in Occupational Therapy has earned a 3.79 grade point average. She is a member of TriBeta (National Biology Honor Society), Alpha Kappa Delta (National Sociology Honor Society), Sigma Alpha Pi (National Society for Leadership & Success), Alpha Sigma Nu (Jesuit Honor Society), Psi Chi (International Psychology Honor Society) and the MAAC All-Academic Team.
Additionally, Brzyski is very active in community service programs such as Big Brothers Big Sisters Program and Junkyard Dogs. In the summer of 2012, she spent time volunteering with the Young Athlete Program helping intellectually disabled children learn basic skills in athletic activities. This summer she will spend two weeks in Ecuador with the Global Outreach team working with a day care center, education programs and vocational training programs.
Akeo, a Kapolei, H.I. native, earned numerous accomplishments in her four years as a volleyball student-athlete including the 2013 Siena College Female Student-Athlete of the Year Award. On the court, she will go down as one of the finest volleyball players in school history. The two-year captain is Siena’s all-time digs leader posting 2,285 digs in 116 matches played and ranked 5th nationally in digs per set with 6.11 in 2012. She is a
two-time All-MAAC Tournament and First Team All-MAAC selection. Akeo was also named the 2011 MAAC co-Defensive Player of the Year and the 2012 MAAC Libero of the Year.
Academically, Akeo has maintained a 3.74 grade point average, while majoring in Management. She has been selected to the Presidents List twice, earned a spot on the dean’s list three times and named to the MAAC All-Academic Team three times. She was also a 2012 Senior CLASS Award Candidate.
Akeo has also given back to the community. She has been active with the Junior Achievement Program since 2009, helping young people to prepare for the real world. In her native Hawaii, she volunteered for the annual King Kamehameha Celebration and helped out at area sports clinics. Akeo is also one of the founding members of Siena's Polynesian Culture Club and served as her team’s representative on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.