Syndey Adams is the 2020 NAC Woman of the Year
Syndey Adams is the 2020 NAC Woman of the Year
Waterville, Maine - Maine Maritime Academy's Sydney Adams is the 2020 North Atlantic Conference Woman of the Year. She is the first Mariner to receive this most prestigious conference honor.
The NAC Woman of the Year award is modeled after the NCAA Woman of the Year program which honors graduating student athletes who distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletic excellence, service, and leadership. Adams is also the NAC nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year award.
Adams (Trumbull, Conn.) was one of eight student athletes nominated for the award, which encompasses all facets of the NCAA Division III student athlete experience. The other nominees were Alisha Celley of Northern Vermont-Lyndon, Cassie Contigiani of Thomas College, Molly Denny of SUNY Canton, Yvonne Hartridge of UMaine-Presque Isle, Katie LeBlanc of UMaine-Farmington, Joan Overman of Husson University, and Grace Page of Northern Vermont-Johnson.
Adams graduated from Maine Maritime Academy this spring, 2020. She earned a bachelor's degree in Marine Science with a minor in Small Vessel Operations and Environmental Studies. Adams excelled academically, earning numerous awards including the Maine Maritime Henry A. Scheel Scholar Award and the Spill Control Association of America (SCAA) Award given to the student who has demonstrated "outstanding interest, creativity, initiative and commitment to Environmental Excellence in the performance of their course of study." She was named a Presidential Scholar and a Distinguished Scholar each year at the Academy.
"Sydney is a genuine character with genuine character," reflected Maine Maritime Athletic Director Steve Peed. "She is a fierce competitor, a dedicated scholar, a contributor to our campus and Castine community, and she brought a laugh and a smile to every encounter off of the floor. Our building won't be the same without her around, but it is definitely a much better place as a result of the time she spent in it. I am incredibly proud to call her a Mariner and our first NAC Woman of the Year."
Adams was involved in dozens of campus activities, including Special Olympics bocce ball and volleyball clinics. She served on a Title IX committee and as a tutor for chemistry and calculus. Adams was a four-year employee in the athletic department and worked as a supervisor for the rock wall and the waterfront. She also found time to earn PADI Master Diver certification.
"Sydney is an excellent representative for the NAC. She was involved at every level on campus, and was an outstanding scholar and a tremendous athlete," said Commissioner Marcella Zalot. "I started in the NAC four years ago and have been able to watch her lead her team to the NAC Championship each of those four years. She is an impressive young woman, she exemplifies the Division III experience, and I am proud to honor her with this award."
Adams was a three-year midfielder for the Mariners' Women's Lacrosse team, and earned a spot on both the NAC First Team All-Conference and All-Tournament teams in 2019.
As the setter for the Volleyball Team, Adams helped lead the Mariners to their fourth-consecutive NAC Championship in 2019, where she also collected Tournament MVP honors. She then helped guide the Mariners to their first set victory, and the first set victory by any NAC team, in the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament.
In her senior season, Adams became Maine Maritime's all-time assist leader with 3,163 career assists, while compiling 808 assists, 155 digs, 92 kills, 55 aces, and 29 total blocks in 27 matches (84 sets). She was the 2016 NAC Rookie of the Year and finished her volleyball career with four NAC All-Conference and three All-Tournament recognitions. Her impressive career ended with 743 digs, 421 kills, 251 services aces and 134 total blocks.
League coaches and Faculty Athletic Representatives selected her as the 2019 NAC Volleyball Senior Scholar Athlete last fall. In December, Adams represented the Mariners at the 2019 New England Women's Volleyball Association (NEWVA) Senior Classic All-Star Game. She was also recently named the Maine Maritime Academy Female Athlete of the Year for 2019-20.
"I am so excited for Syd to be named this year's NAC Woman of the Year," said Mariner Head Volleyball Coach Tricia Carver. "In Mariners volleyball, we believe that all individual awards are achieved upon the foundation of a strong and winning team culture. Syd is an incredible selection for NAC Woman of the Year— a scholar, an athlete, a sister, daughter, granddaughter, friend, teammate, and more. Syd has a brilliant mind, a courageous and adventurous spirit, a caring heart, and a wicked sense of wit and humor. Syd looks out for those around her and in her own unique way, shares team, joy, and fun. With this award, Syd represents her team, her family, and the excellence of her senior classmates and their legacy here at MMA. We are grateful she has been selected as NAC Woman of the Year out of the many outstanding nominees in our conference. Congratulations, Syd, and Congratulations, Mariners."
Adams will begin a Master's degree program in Environmental Engineering at the University of New Hampshire this fall as a fully-funded teaching assistant. She will honored in Castine during the upcoming academic year.
Member schools nominate student athletes from their own institution, then NAC Athletic Directors and Senior Woman Administrators vote to select the Woman of the Year. Scoring for the academic achievement section is based on the undergraduate cumulative grade-point average of the nominee. Scoring for athletic excellence is based on the nominee's honors and accomplishments including awards and championships, and scoring for service and leadership is based on their involvement in campus and community activities and organizations over the course of their collegiate career. Administrators also consider a short personal statement written by each nominee.
Representatives from the NCAA membership comprise the NCAA Woman of the Year Selection Committee. The selection committee will choose the Top-30 national honorees, including 10 from each division, and then narrow the list to the top-three in each division using the guidelines outlined here. The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics will use the same criteria to select the winner from the final nine. The top-30 are due to be announced in September, and the 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year will be named on November 1, 2020.