Maine Maritime's Magaña Named 2025 NAC Woman of the Year
WATERVILLE, Maine – Maine Maritime Academy senior soccer and lacrosse standout Kirra Magaña (Miami, Fla.) has been chosen as the 2025 North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Woman of the Year, as announced by the conference office on Tuesday.
Selected by a vote of the conference’s Athletics Directors and Senior Woman Administrators from a list of 8 deserving nominees, Magaña is the second Maine Maritime athlete to claim NAC Woman of the Year honors after Syndey Adams (2020 NAC Woman of the Year).
A versatile and decorated student-athlete, Kirra Magaña was a four-year defend
er/forward in women’s soccer, a three-year defender/midfielder for women’s lacrosse, and served as a team manager for the women’s basketball team for two seasons at Maine Maritime Academy. During her standout 2024 soccer season, Magaña was named NAC Player of the Year, Senior Scholar Athlete, First Team All-NAC, NEWISA Third Team, and ECAC Second Team. A two-time NAC women’s soccer champion (2021, 2023), she earned multiple All-Conference and All-Region honors and ranked Top 10 nationally in goals and points per game. She also set school records for goals (21) and points (49) in a season in soccer.
In lacrosse, she earned NAC Second Team All-Conference honors (2022) and was recognized as NAC Co-Senior Scholar Athlete this past season. During her two years as team manager for the women’s basketball team at Maine Maritime, the Mariners earned back-to-back NAC championships (2022-23, 2023-24).
Graduating with multiple honors, Magaña is a four-time College Sports Communicators Academic All-District selection for women’s soccer and a 2023 honoree in women’s lacrosse. She was named to the NAC All-Academic Team every season across both sports and received Maine Maritime Academy Department of Arts and Sciences Award upon graduation. Her academic leadership was also recognized with the Maine Maritime Emerging Leader Award (2022-23) and Leader of the Year Award (2024-25).
A team captain for women’s soccer (2022–25), she also served in the Student Government Association and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and held roles as a residential assistant, academic tutor, and game day staff. She also volunteered at the Special Olympics Bocce Tournament for three years, organized by Maine Maritime Athletics.
A dedicated member to the U.S. Army, Magaña served as a Platoon Leader during training, earning Honor Graduate and Iron Soldier in 2024. She is a construction equipment repairer for the U.S. Army National Guard and has interned with the American Bureau of Shipping; she was offered a spot in their 2025–26 Aspire Program.
“Sports have taught me hard work, discipline, and resilience but what mattered most were the people beside me. I have learned to lead by supporting others, to listen, and to be present even when things are difficult” added Magaña. “Being a good teammate is not just about performance; it is about trust, effort, and care. I have grown by learning to connect with different personalities, communicate honestly, and not take everything so seriously. Those bonds have made me better on and off the field”.
For her soccer career, Magaña played in 63 games and tallied 42 goals, 12 assists, 96 points, and 13 game-winning goals.
In her three seasons of lacrosse, she recorded 43 goals, 28 assists, 71 points, three game-winning goals, 101 ground balls, and 57 caused turnovers with a .675 shots on goal percentage.
A significant part of her time at Maine Maritime Academy was dedicated to designing, building, and developing two affordable water quality sensors. These sensors are intended for deployment in socially vulnerable areas with a higher risk of water contamination. Using Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis, she identified susceptible locations in Miami and created low-cost sensors that can be deployed in these regions, with potential for further refinement and improvement.
Magaña recently was invited to the 2025 Select Bowl by Team USA Flag Football for further scouting.
The NAC Woman of the Year award is modeled after the
NCAA's Woman of the Year program, which honors graduating student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership.
All conference-level nominees will be 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, members of the Committee on Women’s Athletics will select the 2025 NCAA Woman of the Year from among the top nine finalists.
Later this fall, nominees who advance to the national Top 30 will receive a congratulatory letter from the NCAA. Top 30 honorees and nine finalists will be announced on NCAA platforms. The 2025 Woman of the Year will be named at January's NCAA Convention.
ANNUAL NAC WOMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD RECIPIENTS
2025 - Kirra Magaña, Maine Maritime Academy
2024 – Kenzie Dore, Husson University
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