FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WINTHROP, Mass. – The Great Northeast Athletic Conference is pleased to announce its four finalists for the 2016 GNAC Woman of the Year Award, as announced on Wednesday afternoon. The winner will be announced next month on July 26 and ultimately put forth for the NCAA Woman of the Year as the conference’s representative.
The four nominees are Anna Maria College’s Kylie Dalbec, Emmanuel College’s Sarah Higgins, Lasell College’s Bridget Munnelly, and Saint Joseph’s College of Maine’s Felicia Wachowiak. The four are amongst 515 honorees nationwide – the most ever in the history of the NCAA’s Woman of the Year program – and 169 female nominees across Division III. The nominees will be graded on four pillars: academic, athletics, service and leadership.
Dalbec, a field hockey student-athlete, finished her undergrad with a 3.90 grade point average as an Environmental Science major and Criminal Justice minor. She was named the 2016 Anna Maria Scholar-Athlete of the Year and is a two-time Phillip Grout Award in Environmental Science winner, as well as a four-time honoree of the NFHCA National Academic Squad. She served as secretary for her school’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) for four years. Dalbec has also volunteered at the Department of Environmental Protection State Emergency Exercise, the York Center for Wildlife Rehabilitation, and Anna Maria-organized events such as the Special Olympics, Clothing Drive and Giving Tree.
A native of Portland, Maine, the forward had 184 points on 68 goals and 48 assists over her stellar four-year career, including two 20-goal seasons as a sophomore and junior. Dalbec was an All-GNAC First Team choice each of the last two years, and was also named the 2014 GNAC Offensive Player of the Year. Prior to the GNAC sponsoring field hockey beginning in 2014, Dalbec and the AMCATS were in the New England Collegiate Conference, where Dalbec was named the 2013 NECC Player of the Year and 2012 NECC Rookie of the Year.
“Being a student-athlete has helped me realize how to be a good role model and a well-rounded individual,” said Dalbec. “After volunteering time helping with youth lacrosse and field hockey, I talked to the girls about how to be a good teammate, do well in school and empower other athletes. Being able to help shape children’s minds and help them fall in love with the games I love was one of my most rewarding moments as a student-athlete.”
Higgins was a two-sport standout at Emmanuel, excelling in women’s basketball and women’s lacrosse. This past season as a senior, she achieved the unique feat of earning GNAC Player of the Year accolades in both sports she competed in. She was a two-time GNAC Women’s Basketball First Team selection, averaging 14.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.9 steals in her junior and senior seasons combined. She also twice earned GNAC First Team recognition in women’s lacrosse, registering 148 goals and 64 assists for 212 career points, including a 53-33–86 line this past spring. Higgins is the Saints all-time program leader in groundballs (255), draw controls (256) and caused turnovers (161).
The Groveland, Mass. native graduated from the Fenway school with a 2.76 GPA as a Psychology Major with a focus in Health & Counseling. She has had a position with Jumpstart Americorps working with children and has taken part in volunteer efforts as a Multicultural Programs Mentor and with Environmental Forum service learning. She also did a study abroad semester at sea in 2013.
“Having had first-hand experience when I was younger of what it’s like to not fit in, I used being a leader and mentor as my outlet in college,” said Higgins. “My senior captain took me under her wing and I used her words of advice to become a captain as well. I was able to put faith in myself and teammates who were struggling with the same issues I once did.”
Also a two-sport student-athlete, Munnelly excelled in women’s soccer in the fall and women’s lacrosse in the spring at Lasell. A Hospitality and Event Management major, Munnelly graduated with a 3.60 GPA and was a Dean’s List member all four years. The Bellingham, Mass. native also volunteered with the Avon 39 Walk for Breast Cancer in 2015.
For the six-time defending GNAC champion women’s soccer program at Lasell, the captain and midfielder played in 63 games over her career, registering two goals and 20 assists for 24 points, including 12 assists last fall as a senior. Also a captain in women’s lacrosse, Munnelly helped lead the Lasers to the GNAC title this past spring, totaling 19 goals and four helpers for 23 points. Over her four-year career, she potted 43 goals and 26 assists for 69 points to go along with 258 draw controls in 73 games.
“I have had four years and eight seasons at Lasell of finding out who I want to be and the kind of impact I want to have on this world,” said Munnelly. “I am a member of a development team at Mass General Hospital and work to raise money for life-changing research. I sit here every day and am so blissfully content with the work I do because it makes a small difference in the lives of others. If it weren’t for those two sports, I wouldn’t be here today.”
Wachowiak, a key member of the Monks’ women’s volleyball team, graduated from Saint Joseph’s with a 3.05 GPA as an Elementary Education major. Her numerous experiences include volunteering at Relay for Life and stints at three different elementary schools for college internships.
A native of Milton, N.H., Wachowiak was a GNAC First Team selection as a sophomore, junior and senior, and was also voted the 2015 GNAC Offensive Player of the Year. A dominating presence on both sides of the net, she finished her career with 1,353 kills (3.08 per set) and 464 total blocks (1.05 per set), while appearing in at least 30 matches and 103 sets in each of her four seasons in Standish.
“Over these four years I’ve developed many skills but also experienced many hardships,” said Wachowiak. “Multi-tasking, staying positive, self-sacrifice and the joy of hard work will all become a part of who you are. You will learn that adversity will only make you a stronger person, and helping others is an integral part of being human.”
After the GNAC unveils its choice on July 26, the Woman of the Year selection committee, made up of representatives from the NCAA membership, will then choose the top 30 honorees – 10 from each division. From the top 30, the selection committee determines the top three honorees from each division and announces nine finalists in September. The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics then chooses from that pool to determine the 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year. The top 30 honorees will be celebrated and the 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year winner will be announced at the annual award ceremony October 16 in Indianapolis.
Founded in 1995, the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 12 member institutions and over 3,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Each year, the GNAC sponsors and administers 17 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunities and community involvement.
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