EDISON, NJ (July 25, 2022) – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) and NCAA today announced Fairfield University women’s basketball standout, Rachel Hakes and Siena College water polo star, Georgia Vargas as MAAC nominees for the 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year Award. The duo was selected from a pool of eight MAAC school nominees that were named on July 14. 

“The MAAC is proud to have Georgia Vargas and Rachel Hakes as our conference nominations for NCAA Woman of the Year,” said MAAC Deputy Commissioner Jessica Grasso. “These women are the top illustrations of what it means to be a student-athlete in the MAAC. They are determined individuals that put all they have into achieving success in the classroom, in the pool and on the court, and in their communities. The MAAC congratulates Georgia and Rachel on their well-earned nomination.”
 
Hakes and Vargas are two out of 151 student-athletes that were nominated by conference offices for the award. Of the 151 athletes, 53 represent Division I, 39 are from Division II, and 59 compete in Division III.  The average GPA of the nominee pool was 3.8.
 
A three-time captain and starting point guard of the Fairfield women’s basketball team, Hakes guided the Stags to the MAAC Regular Season title, MAAC Tournament Championship, and an NCAA berth during the 2021-22 campaign. The MAAC Tournament crown was the program’s first title in 24 years and the NCAA appearance was the first for the Stags since 2001. She posted career-highs in nearly every offensive category, leading the MAAC and finishing top-15 in the nation with 5.8 assists per game and a 2.53 assist-turnover ratio. During her senior season, Hakes also tallied 187 assists, which tied for the second most in Fairfield single season history, culminating with a selection to the All-MAAC Third Team and MAAC All-Tournament Team. Off the court, she was named to the Athletics Director Association (ADA) Scholar-Athlete Team and the MAAC All-Academic Team. Hakes earned her undergraduate degree in finance in just three years, finishing with a perfect 4.0 grade point average and would then complete her graduate degree in business during her fourth season with the Stags, also earning a 4.0 GPA. She was the recipient of the Fairfield University Bellarmine Medal, awarded to the undergraduate with the best GPA in the class and was named the Fairfield University Alumni Association Women's Scholar-Athlete of the Year in both 2021 and 2022. Hakes also served as Fairfield’s Student Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) President in 2021-22 following a term as Vice President in 2020-21.
 
A captain and a four-year member of Siena’s water polo squad, Vargas led the Saints in points and earned Second Team All-MAAC honors following the 2022 campaign. She appeared in 79 career matches for Siena, graduating sixth all-time in program history in career goals (176) and eighth all-time in shots taken (411), while compiling 204 total points. In the classroom, Vargas earned her degree in psychology this past spring. Her academic accomplishments include, multiple selections to both the MAAC All-Academic Team and MAAC Academic Honor Roll, she was Siena's Female Leo Dufort Student Athlete of the Month for March 2022, and given the Outstanding Academic Athlete Award for water polo upon graduation. Vargas was also a three-time ACWPC Academic All-American with "Superior" distinction honors, a three-time Arthur Ashe Jr. Sport Scholar, and she was named a "Sport Winner" in water polo for 2022. She also served as the Vice President of Siena's SAAC during her senior year. Vargas’ community involvement throughout college included serving as a Peer Education Mentor at Siena, volunteering with the Campus Ministry, and working with an organization called Shelter's Right Hand to help benefit victims of domestic abuse in her home community.
 
The 151 nominees submitted by conference offices plus five nominees advancing from a pool of 30 school nominees who compete in a sport not sponsored by the school’s primary conference or compete for independent schools, will be considered for Top 30 honors -- 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.
 
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 42nd year of competition during the 2022-23 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan College, Marist College, Mount St. Mary’s University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.
 
Stay up to date with the MAAC on social media by following @MAACSports on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram or visit MAACSports.com for all the latest MAAC news.