EDISON, NJ (Aug. 16, 2021) – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), in conjunction with the NCAA, announced today that Monmouth University’s Nicole Ceraso and Fairfield University’s Manuela Nicolini have been named the MAAC nominees for the 2021 NCAA Woman of the Year Award. The two student-athletes were chosen from nine MAAC nominees that were named in July.
 
Ceraso and Nicolini are two of 153 college athletes that have been named conference-level nominees for the award. They were selected from the 535 school nominees. The nominees represent student-athletes from 18 different sports spanning all three NCAA divisions. Of those nominated, with 57 competing in Division I, 36 in Division II, and 60 in Division III.
 
“We are honored to have Nicole Ceraso and Manuela Nicolini representing the MAAC as our NCAA Woman of the Year conference nominations,” said MAAC Deputy Commissioner Jessica Grasso. “These women are the best examples of what it means to be a student-athlete. They have both strived through an ever-changing landscape this season to achieve new heights both in the classroom, on the field and court, and in their communities. The MAAC congratulates Nicole and Manuela on their well-deserved nomination.”
 
Ceraso captained the Monmouth women’s lacrosse team for the third-straight season, guiding the Hawks to a semifinal appearance in the 2021 MAAC Championship. The fifth-year senior became the program leader in both assists (178) and points (309) and was named MAAC Offensive Player of the Year for the second time, becoming Monmouth’s first two-time MAAC major award winner. She was also a unanimous All-MAAC First Team selection, an All Mid-Atlantic Region Second Team selection, and a member of the MAAC All-Academic Team. Monmouth also named her their 2021 Female Athlete of the Year.
 
Nicolini co-captained this year’s Fairfield volleyball team and led the Stags to their second-straight MAAC Regular Season Championship. Unfortunately, their season was cut short, withdrawing from the MAAC Championship due to COVID-19 protocols. That did not stop Nicolini from being named 2020-21 MAAC Co-Setter of the Year, her third time winning the major award, and earning a spot on the All-MAAC Team. The graduate student was also named to the 2021 CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team and the MAAC All-Academic Team.
 
The NCAA Woman of the Year Selection Committee, made up of representatives from the NCAA membership, will now choose the Top 30 honorees — 10 from each division — from the conference-level nominees. The Top 30 honorees will be announced in September. From there, the selection committee will narrow the pool to three finalists from each division. The NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics will select the 2021 Woman of the Year from the nine finalists.
 
The top 30 honorees will be celebrated and the 2021 NCAA Woman of the Year will be named this fall.
 
All conference nominees will be recognized on ncaa.org.
 
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 41st year of competition during the 2021-22 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.