Courtney Chadburn – Castleton State College: Chadburn is a four-time NAC All-Conference first team honoree in the sport of women’s soccer, and a three-time Player of the Year recipient. She was named the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) New England Offensive Player of the Year in 2011 and is a three-time All-Region honoree, as well as earning a spot on the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-America third-team this past season after leading the Spartans to their second-straight NAC title. In addition to her on-field success, Chadburn graduated with honors and was lauded as the NCAA Division III CoSIDA/Capital One Academic All-American of the Year in women’s soccer in addition to spending three years on the NAC All-Academic team. Her time at Castleton was marked by four Dean’s List (3.50 GPA or better) designations as well as six President’s List (4.0 GPA) accolades in her ten semesters. Her continued work with the Special Olympics and Girls on the Run gained her distinction as a positive female role model on campus, and in the community.

Madison Hawkins – Colby-Sawyer College: Hawkins was recently awarded the Wynne Jesse McGrew Senior Scholar-Athlete Award, given annually to the graduating senior who has made significant contributions to both the scholastic and varsity programs at Colby-Sawyer. A Captain of the 2011-12 women’s basketball team which advanced to the conference final also co-authored a paper entitled “Landing Development: A First Look at Young Children” which was published in the Scientific Proceedings of the 27^th International Conference of Biomechanics in Sports. Hawkins earned a spot on the Dean’s List each semester and was awarded the Exercise Science Baccalaureate Award. She also served as Treasurer, and later President of the Exercise Science Club while maintaining a spot within the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) at Colby-Sawyer.

Emma Morrison – University of Maine at Farmington: Morrison is a two-sport athlete who has been honored as a CoSIDA/Capital One Academic All-American in both women’s basketball and lacrosse. She is a two-time NAC women’s lacrosse all-tournament selection, while serving as captain for both the basketball and lacrosse teams. Morrison was recently awarded the UMF Senior Scholar-Athlete of the year honor is a two-time member of the NAC All-Academic team and recently presented her biostatistics project at the COPLAC Undergraduate Research Conference. While at UMF Morrison was a tutor in both math and physics, while serving three years on the SAAC, the last two as Vice President and President respectively.

Samantha Tajirian – Green Mountain College: Another two-sport athlete, Tajirian competed in Women’s Soccer and Men’s Tennis at Green Mountain after spending two seasons as a women’s lacrosse student-athlete at the University of Richmond. Tajirian excelled on the field and in the classroom while at Richmond, earning spots on the All-Rookie and All-Championship teams, while earning the highest GPA of any student-athlete at Richmond in her class in both her freshman and sophomore seasons. After two years she traded in the single-sport environment at Richmond for a new-found academic freedom and athletic diversity at Green Mountain, where she recently graduated Summa Cum Laude with a perfect GPA, the highest amongst her peers.  While at Green Mountain she was a member of the NAC All-Academic team, was named MVP of her tennis team and earned the Environmental Studies Outstanding Senior Award. She was named team captain, while also participating in the Campus Farm Crew and Slow Food Club for the past three years.

Amanda Gifford – Husson University: Gifford is the only three-sport athlete nominated for the award this year, excelling at soccer, basketball and softball. While at Husson Gifford was a part of five NAC championship teams including two each in basketball and softball, and one in soccer. She was recently named one of 13 recipients of the NCAA Women's Enhancement Program Postgraduate Scholarship for Careers in Athletics, and among only two from division III to receive the award. Gifford was named team captain in her senior season on the soccer pitch, and was a three-time captain for the Husson basketball team earning all-conference honors along the way in both sports. Gifford is a two-time member of both the NAC All-Academic team and was a NSCAA New England Regional Scholar Athlete in 2010. A member of the Husson SAAC, Gifford also played an integral role in volunteering with the local Special Olympics.

Michelle Wilcox – Lyndon State College: Wilcox was a two-time NAC All-Conference honoree during her career and earned Lyndon’s Dudley Bell Outstanding Athlete award in her senior season. A two-time NAC All-Academic recipient, Wilcox was also named Lyndon’s Green & Gold Scholar-Athlete in 2011. In 2012 she was named the school’s Outstanding Graduating Senior and earned her second-straight Lyndon State College Promise Award. A three-year captain of the women’s soccer team, Wilcox was also a student ambassador and resident assistant while at Lyndon. She was also a four-year member of the SAAC and the Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society and spent a month in Guatemala as a volunteer teacher and coach.

Amanda Naimie – New England College: A two-sport athlete, Naimie was a NAC All-Conference honoree in both field hockey and women’s lacrosse, earning Player of the Year honors in the latter. Prior to joining the NAC for the 2011-12 academic year, Naimie’s athletic prowess was honed in the Commonwealth Coast Conference, where she garnered Field Hockey Defensive Player of the Year honors, as well as spots on the CCC all-conference squads for both sports. A two time conference all-academic honoree, Naimie was also named to the National Field Hockey Coaches’ Association (NFHCA) All-Academic Squad three times, as well as earning a spot on the Chi Alpha Sigma Honor Society. She was named to the NEC Dean’s List in every semester, and was a summer INBRE Undergraduate Research Fellowship Recipient in 2011. A captain of both the field hockey and lacrosse teams, Naimie also held leadership roles as a resident assistant and teacher’s assistant for biology and has attended both the NCAA Leadership Conference and the NCAA Women’s Coaching Academy. He service to the community has included aiding the Red Cross in blood drives for four years, as well as the health science department’s annual food drive, Festival of Nations and BITS Equine Therapy.

NAC MAN OF THE YEAR NOMINEES

Mark Thiong’o – Green Mountain College: Thiong’o participated in golf and tennis while at Green Mountain, earning team MVP honors in golf during his final season. A native of Nairobi, Kenya, Thiong’o recently became the first member of his family to graduate from college after attending Green Mountain on a “Make a Difference” scholarship. Thiong’o received the scholarship for his efforts in raising enough money to provide four tons of food for starving masses in the greater East African Region in just one week’s time while still in high school. For the past four years he has volunteered at the Dismas House – a halfway house for parolees – where he was able to interact and learn from an often stigmatized group of people. He also volunteered for the Poultney River cleanup after Tropical Storm Irene and was a member of the SAAC. Thiong’o was a team captain, resident advisor and held a seat on the student senate at Green Mountain.

Craig Johnson – Lyndon State College: Johnson has played an integral role in the success of the Lyndon cross country both on the course and in the classroom. A four-time member of the NAC All-Conference team, Johnson was named Runner of the Year and Rookie of the Year in 2008. Johnson led Lyndon to three-straight conference titles from 2008-2010 and has been a part of two-straight Lyndon teams which earned USTFCCCA Division III All-Academic honors. A two-time NAC All-Academic recipient, Johnson was inducted into the Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society in 2009 and the Beta Alpha Chapter of the Sigma Zeta National Science and Mathematics Honors Society in 2010. He is also a member of Lyndon’s Arthur B. Eliot Honor Society and was recently awarded the Lyndon Atmospheric Sciences Academic Achievement Award. Johnson was the Vice President for the American Meteorological Society & National Weather Association, as well as Secretary for the Sigma Zeta Beta Alpha Honor Society. He has spent time educating local youth in schools about meteorology and is a Peer Net advisor for the Atmospheric Sciences department, helping advise and mentor first-year students.