Sarah Forman, Mikeisha Kelly Represent MAAC as 2019 NCAA Woman of the Year Nominees
EDISON, N.J. – Siena College’s Sarah Forman and Manhattan College’s Mikeisha Kelly have been selected as the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) nominees for the 2019 NCAA Woman of the Year Award.
The NCAA Woman of the Year program honors the top graduating female student-athletes in the nation for their efforts not only in athletics, but also academics, community service and leadership. A total of 148 student-athletes chosen by NCAA conferences and a selection committee advance as nominees for the award. The women were selected from a pool of 585 school nominees.
“We are so proud to have Mikeisha Kelly and Sarah Forman represent the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference as NCAA Woman of the Year nominations,” said MAAC Senior Associate Commissioner Jessica Hegmann Grasso. “As successful runners for their sport, these young females are the primary examples of what it means to be a student-athlete.
“They have worked hard both athletically and academically, and have given back to their communities in a positive manner. The MAAC congratulates Mikeisha & Sarah on their well-deserved nomination.”
Forman, a 2019 Summa Cum Laude graduate of Siena, was a four-year member of the Saints Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field and Cross Country program. In her senior season, she won the 3K event at the MAAC Indoor Track & Field Championship, the third MAAC title of her career. Forman has rewritten the record books at Siena, setting seven school records in 2019 alone and 13 overall.
In the classroom, Forman racked up 10 MAAC All-Academic Team selections and was named to the 2018-19 Google Cloud Academic All-District First Team, among several other scholastic accolades. Throughout her time at Siena, Forman engaged the college and local communities as a Catholic Charities Tri-County Services and Albany Memorial Hospital volunteer, through the Siena College Student Athlete Mentors program and during visits to the Ronald McDonald House.
A four-year member of Manhattan’s Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field programs and a team captain, Kelly won MAAC gold in 2018 as a member of the Jaspers' indoor 4x400 relay team. She also holds a school record as a member of the indoor DMR squad that recorded a time of 11:50.06 in the event at the 2018 Boston University Terrier Classic. The 2019 graduate was a six-time MAAC All-Academic Team selection, six-time Dean’s List recipient and an inductee of Manhattan’s chapter of Epsilon Sigma Pi.
While pursuing her degree in communications with a focus on public relations, she was involved with numerous organizations on campus and held internships at WABC-TV, Rubenstein Public Relations and Simpli Social. Kelly was also a member of Manhattan’s Women Inspiring Successful Enterprise (WISE) summer program in 2018 and has played a role in local charities, participating in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk and St. Baldrick's Fundraiser. Currently, Kelly is working as the Social Media and Content Coordinator at The Armory Foundation.
The Top 30 honorees, comprising 10 women from each division, will be named by the Woman of the Year selection committee in September. The selection committee will then narrow the pool to nine finalists — with three from each division — in early October. From those finalists, the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics will select the 2019 Woman of the Year.
The Top 30 honorees will be celebrated and the 2019 NCAA Woman of the Year will be announced at the annual award ceremony Sunday, Oct. 20 in Indianapolis.
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 39
th year of competition during the 2019-20 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.