Colby-Sawyer's
Evelyn Miller (Smithfield, R.I.) has been named a 2017-18 North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Woman of the Year along with UMaine-Farmington's Laura Pulito in a vote of the league's Athletics Directors and Senior Woman Administrators.
Miller, a standout women's tennis player for the Chargers, and Pulito, a two-sport athlete in women's cross country and women's outdoor track and field for the Beavers, will be presented their awards at a to-be-determined date during the 2018-18 academic year.
Miller and Pulito emerged out of a pool of eight institutional nominees from the NAC's member schools. To view the complete list of NAC Woman of the Year nominees for 2017-18, please click
HERE. Miller will move on as the conference's honoree for the prestigious NCAA Woman of the Year award. The NCAA plans to release the list of conference nominees in mid-August.
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.
"Once again we had a strong pool of nominees this year and it was no surprise that both Evelyn and Laura were selected as the NAC Women of the Year honorees," said NAC Commissioner Marcella Zalot. "Impressively, they excelled as students, have had successful careers as athletes and have had positive impacts on their campus communities. We are proud to honor both Evelyn and Laura as they truly exemplify the Division III philosophy."
"Evelyn was one of the most dedicated, driven student-athletes I have ever coached," said Colby-Sawyer tennis head coach
Barry Schoonmaker. "We are so happy to see Evelyn recognized for her outstanding accomplishments."
"Evelyn is an outstanding athlete who has excelled on the court and in the classroom," said Athletic Director
Bill Foti. "The hard work she has shown in all of her endeavors is truly an inspiration for all future Chargers."
"Evelyn has been an outstanding role model for all of our student-athletes at Colby-Sawyer," said Athletic Director
George Martin. "She has made a difference on the court and in the community in her three years as a Charger. The NAC Woman of the Year honor is the culmination of her dedication and determination."
"Athletics has played an integral part in my academic success and that of many fellow student-athletes," said Miller. "Collaborative efforts and memorable experiences taught me lessons I will draw on for years to come. I am truly humbled and proud to represent Colby-Sawyer College by receiving this award. It is not without the support and encouragement of many coaches, teammates, students and faculty at CSC, and most of all my loving family that I could have achieved so much."
Miller, of the women's tennis team, becomes the third Charger to be honored as a NAC Woman of the Year.
Rachel Quaye '17 (Westminster, Mass.) was honored in 2017 and Cailin Bullett '13 (Millbury, Mass.) earned the award in 2013.
Miller graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, while following the pre-medical track and minoring in Chemistry. She will be pursuing a Master's degree in Physician Assistant Studies at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in January 2019.
Most recently she was named to the 2017-18 Google Cloud Academic All-District Division III Women's At-Large Team. She was a Colby-Sawyer College Wesson Honors Scholar and a Wesson Honors Scholarship Recipient. Miller received the 2018 Colby-Sawyer College Senior Biology Capstone Award for excellence in Biology research, the 2017-18 Wynne Jesser McGrew Senior Scholar-Athlete honor and the 2017-18 NAC Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year award. She was named to the Dean's List every semester at Colby-Sawyer and was a member of the NAC All-Academic Team in 2016 and 2017. In addition, Miller is a two-time Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Scholar-Athlete.
Miller worked as a clinical assistant in the Brain and Spine Neurological institute last summer. In the summer of 2016, she worked as a research assistant with NH-INBE, using applied genomics techniques to study neurobiology and behavior of bees. She also presented research in Specialized Immune Cells protection in Melanoma at the spring 2018 Eastern New England Biological Conference (ENEBC). The Colby-Sawyer Chair of the Biology Department selected Evelyn to present this research to the Presidents Alumni Advisor Council this semester.
In the community, Miller arranged a service project in music therapy to improve the quality of life for residents of Woodcrest Village suffering from dementia and Alzheimer's disease. At the 2017 International Festival, Miller entertained students, faculty and staff with Irish Step Dance and Irish Fiddle.
She earned the 2016-17 Colby-Sawyer Coach's Award and during her senior campaign she was named captain of the Chargers' squad. Miller and her teammates claimed three-consecutive NAC Championship Titles and she earned the 2017 NAC All-Tournament Team MVP honor as well as being named to the All-Tournament Team in 2016 and 2015. She was voted to the All-Conference First Team in singles in 2016 and 2017 while also earning first team doubles honors in 2016 and second team doubles honors in both 2015 and 2017. She was honored on the 2017 NAC Sportsmanship Team and as the 2016-17 USTA Rhode Island's College Female Tennis Player of the Year.
Miller finished her three-year career with 101 total victories to rank eighth all-time, 46 singles wins to rank seventh, and 55 doubles wins to rank t-6th. She helped the Chargers win an NCAA First Round match three years in a row. Miller went 3-3 in doubles matches at the NCAA Tournament and claimed a victory in singles at the NCAA Tournament, which was the match-clinching point in 2016 to secure the program's first NCAA victory.
