UMaine-Farmington’s Minott named 2023 NAC Woman of the Year
WATERVILLE, Maine – The University of Maine at Farmington’s
Abby Minott has been selected as the 2023 North Atlantic Conference Woman of the Year, selected from among eight nominees from the NAC’s 12 member institutions.
Minott was selected in voting conducted among the NAC’s athletics directors and senior woman administrators. She now becomes the NAC’s nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year accolade.
Minott’s selection marks the third straight year a UMaine-Farmington student-athlete has been selected as the NAC Woman of the Year, following UMaine-Farmington women’s soccer players Fern Calkins (2021) and McKenna Brodeur (2022).
Minott competed for UMaine-Farmington track & field for three seasons, serving as a team captain for two of those, and ran one season of cross country for the Beavers. She earned First Team All-NAC honors in the triple jump at the 2023 NAC Track & Field Championship, and took first place in the triple jump at the 2023 Frozen-8 meet in Boston. Minott was a New England Championship qualifier in the triple jump in 2022.
Academically, Minott was the 2023 NAC Senior Scholar Athlete in women’s track & field as well as UMaine-Farmington’s 2023 Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and was named to the College Sports Communicators’ Academic All-District team. She was a four-time selection to UMaine-Farmington’s President’s List.
Minott was a three-year participant in UMF track & field’s annual Relay for Life fundraiser, serving as a co-coordinator during her senior year. She was a volunteer official at the Mt. Blue High School (Farmington, Maine) track & field meet this past spring, and was a course marshal at Mt. Blue’s cross country meet in the fall. In 2021, she participated in the Gerry Wiles Holiday Food Basket program, helping collect food and donations for food insecure families in Franklin County. Minott was a two-year member of UMaine-Farmington’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and served as a volunteer assistant track & field coach at Noble High School (North Berwick, Maine).
Minott graduated from the University of Maine at Farmington in May 2023 with a degree in business economics, and a minor in athletics coaching. She will attend Springfield College for graduate school in the Fall, and will serve as a graduate assistant with Springfield’s track & field program.
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. The NAC also selects a
Man of the Year using the same model, nominees for which will be released on July 11
. These are the two preeminent awards presented annually by the conference.
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.
ANNUAL NAC WOMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD RECIPIENTS
2023 – Abby Minott, UMaine-Farmington
2022 – McKenna Brodeur, UMaine-Farmington
2021 – Fern Calkins, UMaine-Farmington
2020 – Syndey Adams, Maine Maritime Academy
2019 – Katie Taylor, Thomas College
2018 – Evelyn Miller, Colby-Sawyer / Laura Pulito, UMaine-Farmington
2017 – Rachel Quaye, Colby-Sawyer / Allison Granata, New England College
2016 – Rachel Bombardier, Castleton
2015 – Meghan O’Sullivan, Castleton
2014 – Alyssa Leonard, Castleton State
2013 – Cailin Bullett, Colby-Sawyer
2012 – Courtney Chadburn, Castleton State