ABOUT THE NCAA WOMAN OF THE YEAR PROGRAM

2024 GNAC ATHLETE OF THE YEAR FINALISTS

WINTHROP, Mass. – Elms Lacrosse student-athlete Elise Paier was named the 2023-24 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Athlete of the Year for Women's Sports on Thursday (July 25) afternoon by the conference office.

As the GNAC Athlete of the Year, Paier will also be the conference nominee for the 2024 NCAA Woman of the Year award and the Division III Commissioners Association (D3CA) Women's Sport Student-Athlete of the Year award. All three awards recognize graduating student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service, and leadership.

Paier was selected amongst twelve strong candidates throughout the conference, excelling on the field, in the classroom, and in the community.

On the field, Paier was stellar for the Blazers. The two-time captain broke her program's single-game goal record in a conference win this past year, scoring 11 in a nail-biting victory. Elise also stamped herself in the career record books for Elms as she scored 123 career goals and collected 165 career points, both place her fourth all-time in the program's career leaderboard. The Elms graduate made an appearance on the GNAC's All-Conference Team in the 2023 season and made the weekly honor roll this past season. She also placed on the conference's All-Sportsmanship Team twice (2023, 2024). Paier received the Dr. Joachim Froehlich Award for academic and athletic excellence from her institution this past year as well.

In the classroom, her efforts were exceptional. Elise graduated from Elms with a 4.00 cumulative GPA, earning her undergraduate degree in Nursing. Throughout her academic career, the student-athlete held numerous achievements in the classroom. Here is what she received for her outstanding academic performance: Valedictorian of the Class of 2024, GNAC Academic All-Conference member (2022-2024), received the Nursing Academic Achievement Award (2024), inducted into Kappa Gamma Pi Honor Society (2024), inducted into Delta Epsilon Sigma Honor Society (2024), inducted into Sigma Theta Tau Honor Society (International Honor Society of Nursing 2024), Dean's List (Fall 2020-Spring 2024), Monsignor Conaty Award (Highest Academic Achievement in the junior year 2023), inducted into Chi Alpha Sigma Honor Society (2023), Monsignor Conlin Award (Highest Academic Achievement in the sophomore year 2022) and Monsignor Fagan Award (Highest Academic Achievement in the freshman year 2021).

Her impressive student-athlete resume didn't stop just there. She was continually active in the community as well. She engaged in several community and campus activities. Some of these include volunteering at flu clinics, canned food drives on campus, coaching a West Springfield Girls Lacrosse Program, was a member of the National Student Nurse Association, and was a member of her school's Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).

Personal Statement:

"Scholastically, I pushed myself to achieve the best grades and was honored as the Valedictorian of my class. I accomplished this as a four year student-athlete and two year captain of the Women's Lacrosse team. During my senior year, I conducted an evidence-based practice project focused on reducing the development of mental health conditions in oncology nurses, and a specific vulnerable populations project on foster children in the local community. These both emphasized how I can enhance the lives of specific patients in need. In addition, I was able to complete my rigorous clinical requirements, which included two, 8-hour days a week working side by side with nurses and clinicians at various hospitals and organizations. My patients have always had a large impact on my personal growth. I chose nursing as a profession because of my desire to make a difference and the love I have for caring for others. I want to be the positive in someone's life, no matter how short the duration of our interaction is, which has always been my motivation to have an impact on the world.

Athletically, as a two year captain, I was able to help motivate my teammates to become better players on the field, as well as focus on their academics. During my senior year, we were faced with a significant challenge, as our season was almost lost due to a roster size that was not sustainable for competitive play. My fellow captain and I took on additional roles as recruiters, and scoured the campus for female students to come join our team. We were luckily able to recruit just enough players to have a season, many of which had never played the sport before but were willing to help us out. As a leader, I helped teach these new players how to play lacrosse, along with creating an environment of positivity and encouragement. Despite the odds being stacked against us, we finished 4th in the South Division, and made it to the Play-In Round of the GNAC Tournament. This accomplishment, along with the feeling of gratitude from each of my teammates was validation that I had a positive impact on them all, and the program as a whole.

I have held many leadership roles that have empowered me to have a positive impact on my communities. Coaching young women has been so fulfilling, as I am able to see their confidence in both their talent and within themselves grow. I try to empower young women that they can achieve anything they put their mind to, and I have exemplified that in both my academic and athletic achievements. Leadership roles on campus have also greatly influenced my life because I have learned the importance of holding myself and others accountable. Being a member of three organizations on campus, along with a student-athlete has not only taught me it is crucial to communicate with others, but that I am capable of having a positive impact on the lives of others around me."

The GNAC Athlete of the Year is selected by a committee of GNAC staff members following the NCAA Woman of the Year selection guidelines. As the conference's nominee, Paier will be placed in a pool along with the nominees from other NCAA conferences.

All conference-level nominees are forwarded to the Woman of the Year selection committee. The selection committee will choose the top 10 honorees in each division. From among those 30 honorees, the selection committee will determine the three finalists in each division. Finally, the members of the Committee on Women's Athletics will vote from among the top nine finalists to determine the 2024 NCAA Woman of the Year.

Later this fall, the national Top 30 honorees and nine finalists will be announced. The 2024 NCAA Woman of the Year will be announced at the 2025 NCAA Convention in Nashville, Tennessee.

The D3CA award follows a similar process. Once conference nominees are submitted, the commissioners will vote on the nominees within their region to select the 10 Student-Athlete of the Year regional honorees. Those regional honorees will be eligible for selection as D3CA Student-Athlete of the Year.

ABOUT THE GREAT NORTHEAST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 16 member institutions and over 4000 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.

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