General | 9/7/2016 11:22:18 AM
Castleton University graduate Rachel Bombardier (Pittsford, Vt.), the 2015-16 North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Woman of the Year, has been named one of 30 Top Honorees for the 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year Award. Bombardier becomes the first NAC woman to be selected in the final 30 student-athletes throughout the history of the award.
A record 517 school nominees were submitted this year, which was whittled down to 142 conference nominees. The committee selected 30 women from that pool, 10 from each of the three NCAA divisions, representing 13 sports and a host of undergraduate majors. The top 30 honorees reflect the pillars of the Woman of the Year Award, demonstrating excellence in academics, athletics, community service and leadership. To view the NCAA release and a complete list of the Top 30, click HERE.
"I am so proud of Rachel and this accomplishment," said NAC Commissioner Marcella Zalot. "Rachel has distinguished herself nationally among an elite group of women and she is truly the best of what collegiate athletics offers. As our first recipient to be named a Top 30 finalist, Rachel has made NAC history. She has also paved the way for others to follow. On behalf of the entire conference membership, congratulations to Rachel on such an impressive achievement."
Bombardier, the fourth Spartan to win the NAC Woman of the Year award in the last five years, was a standout in the rink, on the field and in the classroom at Castleton. The 2016 NAC Women's Lacrosse Senior Scholar Athlete of the Year, was a three-year letter winner and was a two-time All-NAC honoree at goalkeeper, prior to making the switch to defense her senior year, in which she collected 20 ground balls, 11 draw controls, and caused 10 turnovers. She was a part of three NAC Women's Lacrosse Championship Title teams and made three NCAA tournament appearances. She lettered in women's hockey all four years of her undergraduate career and saw her team earn ECAC East Runner-Up in both the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons.
The two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree was most recently honored as a CoSIDA Academic All-American (at-large selection) and was selected as the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association Division III Scholar-Athlete of the Year. She also earned All-Academic honors from the ECAC, NAC, NEHC and the IWLCA throughout her career.
In the classroom, the dual-sport student-athlete was a Heath Science major and minored in Statistics. She entered into a 12-month Master's program in Medical Science at the University of Vermont after graduating from Castleton. This past year, she was honored with the Academic Excellence award in Natural Science and Exercise Science, she received the Sharon Brown Memorial Award (given to one standout female student-athlete showing leadership & dedication to community), she was inducted into the Sigma Zeta National Science & Mathematics Honor Society, and was named best in Biochemistry for demonstrating excellence in Biochemistry. Honored on the Presidents List all four years of her career, Bombardier has served as an EMT, as an organic chemistry and math clinic tutor, as a teaching assistant for Organic Chemistry Lab, and on the Castleton Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
The selection committee will name nine finalists, three women from each division, in late September. From the nine finalists, the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics will select the 2016 Woman of the Year, who will be announced October 16 at a ceremony in Indianapolis.