GNAC Announces 2022 Woman of the Year Finalists

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Winner set to be announced July 25,
will be put forth for NCAA Woman of the Year

WINTHROP, Mass. – As part of the NCAA Woman of the Year Award program, the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is pleased to announce its finalists for our 2022 GNAC Woman of the Year. The winner will automatically be put forth for the prestigious national NCAA award, which spans across Divisions I, II and III.

The GNAC winner will be announced in late July. Each nominee must be a graduating female student-athlete, and the selection process is based upon service & leadership, academic achievement, athletics excellence, as well as a personal statement.

This year's seven GNAC finalists include Nora Newman of Elms College field hockey; Miranda Seacord of Dean College women's soccer and softball; Jillian Miele of Johnson & Wales University (RI) field hockey; Elise Stanbury of Lasell University indoor/outdoor track & field; Emily Fagundo of Regis College women's volleyball and women's indoor/outdoor track & field; Cassandra Stapelfeld of Saint Joseph's College of Maine women's basketball; and Alice Najimy of Simmons University women's cross country.

Last summer, Colby-Sawyer College's Julia Lanctot was crowned the 2021 GNAC Woman of the Year honoree, and the year prior, Emmanuel College's Yuleska Ramirez-Tejeda was named the Co-GNAC Woman of the Year and went on to be named a NCAA Woman of the Year Top-30 selection.

NORA NEWMAN | ELMS FIELD HOCKEY
3.68 GPA | NURSING

Hailing from Woburn, Mass., Newman earned a 3.68 GPA at Elms, where she majored in Nursing. She excelled as a senior for the Blazers, earning 2021 GNAC Field Hockey Goalkeeper of the Year and First Team honors after posting a .788 save percentage across 18 starts, as Elms advanced to the GNAC Tournament Semifinals in its first year with the conference. Her performance led to 2021 NFHCA Second Team All-Region accolades. Off the field, she was a Fall 2021 Chi Alpha Sigma Inductee, worked at COVID-19 Field Hospital Boston Hope, and was a volunteer field hockey coach for the winter and summer sessions with Woburn High School.

Personal Statement: "Being able to be a part of collegiate athletics over the past four years has been a life-changing experience. Not only have I been able to challenge myself on the field with a higher level of competition, playing field hockey has given me many opportunities to develop as a leader. I learned through being a goalie that I did not need to wear an armband to be a leader. I was able to take a leadership role within my team both on and off the field by being open, honest, and always willing to help my teammates. COVID-19 presented a whole new set of challenges for myself and ECFH. On a personal level, I stepped in as a health care worker and spent my time helping to care for COVID-19 patients in the Boston Hope Field Hospital. I helped take care of patients who were not fit for a hospital, but not able to go home. Through working there, I worked with countless other selfless health care professionals from every walk of life and learned that if we all have a similar goal, we can work together to achieve that goal. We never exceeded 200 patients at a time and had the hospital empty by the end of June 2020.

In regards to my team, our head coach left during the initial lockdown period and we had to navigate an already crazy world with just our players. I had to step up to help keep my team together, organized, and motivated. I was not named an official captain but my team still looked up to me for positivity and support.When we got to come back to full season play in 2021, my team repaid me by pushing me to be my best and ultimately being named GNAC Goalkeeper of the Year. I was also awarded the 'Energy Bus' Award during team awards. This award goes to an individual who is always positive, pushes through challenges, and doesn't allow 'Energy Vampires' to bring them down.

Overall, the past four years have allowed me to blossom into a strong teammate and leader. I plan on taking the skills I've developed through my time as a student-leader and applying them to my next phases of life. Whether it be nursing, firefighting, or coaching, lessons that I have learned will follow me forever and I hope to pass my knowledge on to the next generation of student-athlete leaders."

MIRANDA SEACORD | DEAN SOFTBALL/WOMEN'S SOCCER
3.88 GPA | SPORT MANAGEMENT 

A native of Cambridge, N.Y., the two-sport student-athlete graduated from Dean with a 3.88 SPA in Sport Management, with an Associate's Degree in Coaching and Recreation. Seacord, Bulldogs a soccer captain, volunteered as a Little League Softball Coach, worked in the Dean athletic department in event management, and was a member of SAAC on campus in Franklin, Mass. A 2022 All-GNAC Third Team Softball selection, Seacord hit .430 as a senior with a 1.048 OPS, registering 32 runs and going 34-of-35 on stolen base attempts. On the soccer field, her best season came as a sophomore back in 2019, when she totaled nine goals and two assists en route to USCAA National All-Academic and Team MVP honors.

Personal Statement: "My experiences as a scholar, athlete and a leader at Dean have given me a different view on life. Being a student-athlete means I am either in class or at practice most of the time, but there is time to make great memories with your other classmates. Since Dean is small, I got to know almost all of my classmates. It was great to know most of my classmates because then we could have study groups together. It was also great to have some teammates in class with me because I knew we were on the same schedule, so we could study or work on homework together. Once the COVID-19 pandemic hit and everyone had to go home not knowing when we will play together or even see each-other again, I realized how much I enjoyed being a student-athlete. Our teams did zoom class to try and stay in touch and active but it was not the same. We were allowed to come back to school in January 2021 and start to play sports again. Everyone seemed more passionate about the sport they were going to play. I was so excited to be back on the field even if it was only for 10 games.

Summer of 2021 I was named captain for the soccer team for my senior season. I was ready to lead my team to a great season because we did not play a game in over a year. I wanted to be the best leader I could be for my team. I also did an internship with my soccer coach during my senior season, so I was more involved with the team. In the fall of 2021 I was selected to be the softball representative for SAAC. I was honored to represent my team and help our committee plan events for the student-athletes.

Spring of 2022 was the start of my senior softball season. Everyone was ready to finally play a full season because many of us had not been able to because of the pandemic. Going through the 3- or 4-hour practices everyday between classes was always a challenge, but that is what you have to do to be a student-athlete. When I was not chosen to be a captain of my softball team I was upset at first because I was always very involved with the team and have stuck through it through all the tough years, but then I realized I did not need the label as 'captain' to be a leader. I was still a leader throughout the whole season on and off the field and all the players looked up to me by the end of the year. At the end of the season I was named most valuable player of the team. The only reason I was the most valuable player is because I worked hard everyday for myself and my teammates."

JILLIAN MIELE | JOHNSON & WALES FIELD HOCKEY
3.97 GPA | SPORTS, ENTERTAINMENT, EVENT MANAGEMENT (specialized in Sports)

Miele, the 2021 GNAC GNAC Offensive Player of the Year, was the 2022 JWU Female Athlete of the Year after being a three-year team captain. The Wilmington, Mass. native finished her Wildcats' career with 59 goals and 28 assists for 146 points (in just three seasons due to COVID), while setting both the all-time (146) and single-season (66) program records for points. Also named the 2021 GNAC Tournament MVP as a member of two GNAC championship squads, Miele was lauded as am NFCHA All-American Second Team selection this past season. Off the field, she was a member of the President's Advisory Council and volunteered at multiple posts, including Gillette Stadium Concessions, Ronald McDonald House Charities, a COVID-19 Testing Site, among others. 

Personal Statement: "I have learned countless life lessons and gained astounding traits from being a student-athlete at Johnson & Wales. My main takeaways come from my experiences facing adversity throughout the years. The adversity I've encountered began before even stepping foot on campus. Originally going into college, I was supposed to attend Mount Ida College, but the school shut down just months before I got to start. I had to quickly figure out a whole new path to build my future and found a home at JWU. I created a mindset for myself that I can only control my own actions and not the outside uncontrollables.

My first year at JWU while playing field hockey, I joined SAAC early on in hopes of making change in the College of Hospitality. This led our college to building the 'SEEM Lab,' a space for Sports, Entertainment, Event Management students to have conference meetings and work on school projects with some of the largest companies in the nation. My second year in school, the fall was a real challenge for me, mentally. I felt high pressure of having to perform well on the field, keeping my GPA, and being a leader for everyone around me. I tutored students for 20 hours a week, continued working with the Providence Bruins (one of only two women who did so), and spent the rest of my time volunteering and tutoring other athletes on their schedules, for free. I developed extreme time management skills and began to see how much of a difference I was making in the lives around me. That winter I engaged in a six-person class that worked directly with the TD Garden on one of their marketing campaigns. This was life-changing because one of my main goals is to show younger girls that women can work in sports and have the same jobs that men can have in the industry. Unfortunately, as my term-long project came to a close, so did the rest of the world.

COVID-19 struck but instead of getting discouraged, I knew it was another bout of adversity that I'd overcome. I spent that year without field hockey, working to get better and connecting even more with my teammates. I made weekly zoom calls and TikTok videos with teammates across the country and volunteered at a COVID testing facility with hopes of getting school and sports restored. I knew that I wanted to be the change and inspire others. My senior year, our field hockey team made program history, despite the voices saying we could not do it and the GNAC preseason poll ranking us No. 7. While making a historic run for our program, I also joined the President's Advisory Council. We discussed ways to improve diversity, mental health, and athletics on campus. Through all the adversity I've faced throughout my college career in field hockey and real-world experiences, my biggest takeaway is that if you want something to change, you must do it yourself and inspire others to make a difference with you." 

ELISE STANBURY | LASELL INDOOR/OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD
3.80 GPA | FASHION DESIGN (minor in Studio Art)

Stanbury posted a 3.80 GPA at Lasell as a Fashion Design major and Stuido Art minor, and is currently pursuing her MBA in Sustainable Fasion. Hailing from Washington, N.J., the field performer was a captain of the Lasell Dance Team, Blue Key Society Ambassador, Lasers Orientation Leader, Student Alumni Association member, Peer Mentor, and a Fashion Photography and Styling Club member. Winner of Lasell's Academic Book Award, the Lasell Student Leader Bowl Award, and the Art Show Award, she also won the 2022 Lasell Torchbearer Award after being named the GNAC Track & Field Rookie of the Year back in 2019. 

Personal Statement: "Prior to attending Lasell, I didn't have much interest in continuing my track and field career post-high school. I strictly wanted to focus on my studies as I was unsure of being able to juggle being a student-athlete with my soon-to-be jam-packed collegiate career. After being recruited by the previous head coach, I decided to give it a try. I believe I was only one of three throwers on the team. From there, I learned that I loved the sport too much to give it up, and wanted to help build the throwing team into something bigger. From my sophomore year, I was elected as a captain to help lead the team and bring guidance to the future incoming throwers. I was terrified at first being elected to fill the role of being a team leader so early in my collegiate career. I would never have expected to encounter the most difficult next 2.5 years on the team, but I wouldn't be where I am today without those experiences as they taught me how to lead and handle the unpredictable.

During the first half of my sophomore year, there were times when I would enact as the "throws coach", and then suddenly being sent home the second semester was so heartbreaking as an athlete. Junior year, again I was enacting as a coach due to COVID-19, which was physically and mentally taxing on me. I was unable to practice for myself and was focused on the numerous new throwers on the team. Practices were tough because we do not have a facility and were unable to go to the facilities at other nearby colleges, but we made it work. The team and I chugged through that rough year and finally my senior year we were able to compete somewhat normally again. We still experienced the hurdles of a couple of coaching staff changes and rapid-changing COVID protocols. This experience has taught me what it is like as a team leader to face adversity and charge forward into it rather than giving up at the first sign of difficulty. I had many thoughts during those two COVID years, as I was not sure if I wanted to continue my collegiate athletic career. But I would think back to my first year that I had made a promise to myself that I wanted to help build the team, especially the throwers into a family. That family is now up to 12.

Now that I have graduated Lasell, I feel that I have done that. I am leaving a family bond that the throwers will hopefully continue for years to come. This experience has also taught me that you do not have to be the loudest or the best athlete to make a difference. I was able to be my genuine self and I did not know the impact of this until now."

EMILY FAGUNDO | REGIS WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL/OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD
4.0 GPA | NUCLEAR MEDICINE

The two-sport athlete graduated from Regis with a 4.0 GPA as a Nuclear Medicine major. Hailing from Dover, N.H. and now residing in Arlington, Mass., she was a 2022 CoSIDA Women's Track & Field/Cross Country Division III Academic All-America Second Team selection after being a 2021 CoSIDA Women's Volleyball Division III Academic All-America Third Team choice last fall. Regis' Class of 2022 Co-Valedictorian, Female Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and Maria Leonard Book Award winner did her clinicals at Mass General and was a member of the Regis SAAC and Nuclear Medicine Advisory Committees. On the volleyball court, she became sixth player in program history to surpass the 1,000 career assist mark (1010), and on the track excelled in the distance medley relay and 4x400 relay.

Personal Statement: "When I started school at Regis in the fall of 2018, most people would have described me as the shy girl. The one who didn't speak in class unless she was called on or the one at practice that didn't really have anything to add to the huddle. I had the opportunity to compete on both the volleyball and track & field teams at Regis and, surprisingly enough, it did not take me long to feel comfortable amongst all my teammates. I felt at home on the court and on the track and immediately noticed an atmosphere founded in unity, togetherness, and reliability. I felt safe to be my true self and to speak up more. Whether that was just cracking jokes at team dinners or advocating for myself in a given situation, being a student-athlete helped me grow into a more confident person. I realized this was the culture I not only wanted to be a part of, but I also wanted to continue myself in my years at Regis.

I was lucky enough to be a part of record-setting occasions and GNAC Championships in my career while also earning my Bachelor of Science degree in nuclear medicine. The great balancing act of extracurriculars, athletics, and academics was always a challenging one, but I constantly felt guided by coaches and professors and supported by teammates every step of the way. I was able to hold leadership positions on my teams and became a member of SAAC, which helped me venture further outside of my comfort zone and have a more active voice on campus. My teammates were always there for me and I wanted to be there for them in anyway I could.

Being a leader on my teams inspired me to become more involved in the Honors Program at my school. I was able to take this newfound confidence as well as values of community, support, and understanding and apply them to helping others who needed it most. Being a part of a team, participating in service, and holding these roles in my community not only helped me find my voice, but also helped me define my passions to help others in life. I am still that shy girl from four years ago, but I am a more confident version who is unafraid to tackle life's obstacles with the goal of also helping others do the same."

CASSANDRA STAPELFELD | SAINT JOSEPH'S MAINE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
3.89 GPA | NURSING

A native of Brookline, Mass., Stapelfeld's collegiate career was quite the journey throughout New England while shining on the hardwood, competing for three programs in five years. That journey began at Endicott College as a freshman, where she averaged an impressive 10.0 PPG as a rookie. She transferred to Simmons University in the GNAC for her sophomore season, averaging 21.8 PPG (second among league leaders), but the school announced it was discontinuing the program that spring. She took her talents north to Saint Joseph's, averaging 14.6 points while shooting 38.3% from three in her three seasons – including a shortened 2020-21 campaign due to COVID – and helping the Monks advance to a pair of GNAC Championships. Off the court, the WBCA All-American Honorable Mention and the team captain was a part of the SJC Leadership Counsel, was a nursing assistant at Maine Medical Center, and volunteered at a high school basketball summer team camp.

Personal Statement: "My college journey unfolded unlike I ever expected it to. In the spring of my sophomore year, after finally settling down in a new school after transferring following my freshman year, I found out in an email that my school was discontinuing its college basketball program. Absolutely devastated by this news and at the thought of not playing a sport I had played nearly every day since sixth grade, yet dead set against transferring for a second time, I found myself up at Saint Joe's, touring the school and talking to legendary Coach Mike McDevitt, a process which I thought I had exhausted my senior year of high school.

Realizing, with the support of my family, that I simply couldn't give up the few years I had left to play basketball in college, a sport I was in love with, I decided to transfer, despite every reservation and fear of proving myself on yet another team, for a second time, to Saint Joe's. However, after my first game of pickup with my team my first week, my teammates quickly became my best friends. As hard as transferring and adjusting to a new school was, it gave me a voice and made me realize how lucky I was to be able to play a sport I loved while pursuing a career I was so passionate about. After my first year at Saint Joe's, I was honored to be named a team captain. I have always made it my mission to lead by example.

Following my junior and senior seasons, I was also voted by my teammates for our team's 'Teamwork, Effort, Attitude, and Motivation' award. For me, college was constantly a balance between my nursing studies and basketball. My junior year, I played our quarterfinal game after waking up at 4:30am that day for a clinical. The summer before my senior year of college, I worked in the float pool at Maine Medical Center as a nursing assistant. In every job interview, I have been asked what I believe my greatest strengths are, and they are always the same traits that have made me successful in basketball and in school. Above all, my greatest takeaway from my experiences as a college athlete is how blessed I have to have been to have had something in my life that I am so passionate about. As challenging as transferring schools was for me, I learned to adapt to change and become comfortable with uncomfortable situations. I know that my experiences as a student-athlete have given me the grit that will make me successful in my career as a nurse."

ALICE NAJIMY | SIMMONS WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
3.97 GPA | NURSING (minor in Public Health)

Najimy, a Pittsfield, Mass. native, left Brookline Avenue in Boston with a 3.97 GPA as a Nursing major and a number of legendary performances for the Sharks cross country program. She took home GNAC Rookie of the Year back in 2018 and finished fourth (24:59) at the 2021 GNAC Championship en route to becoming a three-time All-GNAC performer in the sport. She was the 2022 Simmons Senior Student Athlete of the Year Recipient, as well as the Adrielle Warwick Award Recipient, which is presented to a senior nursing student who exhibits the love for learning. She also garnered the Marjorie Keazirian and Judy A. Beal Nursing Awards. Outside of the classroom, Najimy volunteered at Rosie's Place – a safe and nuturing place that helps poor and homeless women seek opportunities and find security in their lives – and also helped raise money for Brigham & Women's Hospital Charity, and was a member of the Student Nurses Association and the Foundation to be Named Later, a non-profit Peter Gammons Scholar Program that assists one first-year student achieve success.

Personal Statement: "I entered college athletics envisioning that the most important finish lines I would cross would be at the end of my 6K races. Four years later, I realize that while those finish lines were each meaningful on their own, the greater journey they took me on taught me lessons that shaped me as a future nurse and human being. I can attribute so much of my success and growth to being an NCAA athlete. Being a captain taught me how to lead and showed me the power that being an athlete holds in enacting change. Not only in the context of leading team stretches, but in the context of bringing 15 teammates who were hundreds of miles apart together virtually on a zoom call to support each other through a pandemic.

I learned how to give people space to talk about what was happening in our world, and use our sport to make a difference. During the pandemic, amidst the racial injustice that was occurring, I organized a fundraiser where we ran to encourage friends and family to donate to the Equal Justice Initiative. Through our collective efforts, my team raised over $2,000. Witnessing the impact that this had on myself and my teammates exemplified how in a time when the focus of athletics was no longer on competition, the true gifts that our sport gives to us, such as a sense of community and empowerment, can be uncovered in a new way. This lesson inspired me to fulfill my lifelong dream of running the Boston Marathon for 'Brigham and Women's Stepping Strong' charity in the spring of my final semester.

Alongside running, being a nursing student has always been a central part of my collegiate identity. Raising money for trauma research would allow me to use the sport that has supported me my entire college experience, to then bring awareness to and support the patients I would one day be taking care of. The discipline of my past four years as a college athlete prepared me to put in the physical effort it would take to train for a marathon. While I was expecting to put in the work myself, I was not prepared for the incredible amount of support that others were willing to give to me. Running the marathon showed me that an individual can best fulfill their potential when they have the support and encouragement of their community. Because of my family, teammates, friends, both old and new, I was able to finish the marathon and qualify for next years too. While the marathon would be the last finish line I crossed during my time as a college athlete, the lessons in leadership, community and charity that these past four years taught me will allow me to cross countless others."

The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 14 member institutions and over 3,500 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 22 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience. 

– #TheGNAC –