EDISON, NJ (July 14, 2022) – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) and NCAA today revealed the names of eight MAAC student-athletes nominated for the 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year Award. Seven MAAC institutions and five sports are represented in this year’s pool of nominees.

 

Student-Athlete	Institution	Sport
Erin Hufford	Canisius College	Softball
Rachel Hakes	Fairfield University	Basketball
Jessie Rising	Manhattan College	Softball
Caroline Baratta	Marist College	Softball
Teagan Schein-Becker	Rider University	Cross Country/Track
Kendrea Williams	Saint Peter’s University	Basketball
Nicole McNeely	Siena College	Lacrosse
Georgia Vargas	Siena College	Water Polo

 

“The MAAC is honored to nominate and acknowledge these incredible female student-athletes” notes Deputy Commissioner Jessica Grasso. “Their collegiate careers of hard work, sacrifice, dedication, and success both in the classroom and in their sport should be recognized through this prestigious honor.”
 
The NCAA Woman of the Year award honors graduating female student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership.
 
The NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics manages the nomination process and selections. This year, 577 college athletes were nominated. The nominees represent all three NCAA divisions, including 248 nominees from Division I, 127 from Division II and 202 from Division III. The average GPA of the nominee pool was 3.8 and the list included 125 multisport student-athletes. Member schools are encouraged to honor their top graduating female college athletes each year by submitting their names for consideration for the Woman of the Year Award. Schools can recognize two nominees if at least one is a woman of color or international student-athlete.
 
The MAAC will select up to two nominees from the pool above, with at least one being a woman of color or international-student athlete, which will be announced by the NCAA in mid-August. All conference-level nominees are forwarded to the Woman of the Year selection committee. Then, the Woman of the Year selection committee, made up of representatives from the NCAA membership, will choose the Top 30 honorees — 10 from each division. From the Top 30, the Woman of the Year selection committee will determine the top three honorees in each division and announce nine finalists. The NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics then will choose the 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year, who will be named this fall.
 
All school and conference nominees receive an NCAA certificate and 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 42nd year of competition during the 2022-23 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Mount St. Mary’s University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.
 
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