Pavlus Named National Athlete of the Year, Nominated for Women’s Sports Award
by:
Dawn J. SagertWendy Pavlus '11 leads the pack at the 2010 NCAA Championship race.
Nov. 23: Fresh off of her victory at the 2010 Division III NCAA Cross Country Championship, St. Lawrence University senior Wendy Pavlus has been named the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Association's Female Athlete of the Year for the second consecutive season. Also, Pavlus has once again been nominated for the Collegiate Women Sports Award's Athlete of the Year, sponsored by Honda.
Pavlus successfully defended her NCAA Division III women's cross country national championship in Waverly, IA on Saturday, Nov. 20. The Tupper Lake, NY native won with a personal-best and course record-setting time of 20:49. She is only the fourth woman to defend a Division III cross country national title, as she won the final eight races of her career.
"Wendy has established herself as one of the elite athletes in the country, and I'm very proud of her for everything she's achieved," said St. Lawrence head coach Mike Howard. "She's worked tremendously hard to get to where she is, and has served as not only our premier runnier, but also as a great captain and leader to our team."
Wendy is now a three-time national champion including (2 cross country, 1 track and field) after winning the NCAA Championship race by 11 seconds. She won her final eight collegiate cross country races, claiming league, state and regional championships before the national crown.
Haverford's Anders Hulleberg, winner of the 2010 NCAA Men's Championship, was named the USTFCCCA's Male Athlete of the Year.
Meanwhile, the Collegiate Women Sports Awards program, now in its 34th year, recognizes annually the top woman collegiate athlete in each of 11 sports in Divisions II and III as nominees for the Division II and III Athletes of the Year for its 24th year. The program also honors the recipients of the Honda-Broderick Cup and the Honda Inspiration Award.
Divisions II and III athletes are nominated by national coaches associations for each of 11 sports: basketball, cross country, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field and volleyball. The athletes are placed on ballots emailed to all Division II and III Senior Women Administrators in June every year and the Athlete of the Year for each division is determined by the outcome of the voting.
The awards program is sponsored by American Honda Motor Co., Inc. and to celebrate these awards American Honda Motor Co., Inc. donates $1,000 to the women's athletic fund of each Honda Sports Award nominee's university and each Division II and III nominee's university. The Division II and III winner's institutions, along with the Honda-Broderick Cup and the Inspiration Award recipients' schools receive $5,000 each.
A press conference will be held June 27, 2011 in New York to announce and present The Divisions II and III Athletes of the Year along with the recipients of the Honda-Broderick Cup and the Honda Inspiration Award.