FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 2, 2014
Battista also honored as 2013-14 Northeast-10
Conference Female Outstanding Scholar-Athlete
ESSEX, Vt. – Bentley University senior Lauren Battista of the Falcons’ national champion women’s basketball team was named the 2014 Northeast-10 Woman of the Year on Monday evening at the conference’s yearend banquet in Greater Burlington.
Battista was also honored with the Northeast-10’s 2013-14 Female Outstanding Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award at the Essex Resort & Spa on Monday.
By virtue of being named the Northeast-10 Woman of the Year, the North Easton, Mass. native will advance forward to the NCAA Woman of the Year ballot.
In the classroom, Battista graduated from Bentley with an incredible 3.95 GPA as a Marketing & Liberal Studies major after receiving Capital One Academic All-America honors each of the last three years, while this past year she was also named the Academic All-America of the Year in her sport.
A two-year team captain, Battista was named the 2014 Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Association (WBCA) Player of the Year en route to leading the Falcons to the NCAA Division II national championship and a perfect 35-0 record this past winter.
“Since my team’s national championship victory, I have been approached by countless members of my community who have showered me with praise and admiration for being a positive role model and ambassador for women’s college athletics,” said Battista. “I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to touch the lives of so many through the sport I love, and having that support and appreciation has given my life much more meaning than I could have ever imagined.”
A two-time Northeast-10 Player of the Year (2012, 2014), Battista helped Bentley advance to the Elite Eight as a freshman, the Final Four as a sophomore and the regional title game as a junior before this season’s national title run. The Falcons went 124-11 (.919) over her four years, as she averaged 15.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and shot 54.3 percent for her career.
Bentley also won the Northeast-10 Championship all four seasons she donned the Falcons uniform, and Battista was named the championship’s Most Outstanding Player all four years – an unprecedented feat for any student-athlete across any sport in Northeast-10 history.
In the community, Battista has volunteered her time with Habitat for Humanity, the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and Team IMPACT, a non-profit organization that matches children with life-threatening illnesses with collegiate sport programs.
“My roles as a scholar and as an athlete have defined critical components of my character such as work ethic, leadership, and self-confidence, but my experience giving back to others has had the biggest influence on the person I am today,” added Battista.
“Through my work with Team IMPACT, I have been able to foster a relationship with a young girl battling leukemia and her family. Her optimism and strength inspire me daily. Being around her family has taught me to be grateful for everything I have been blessed with in life and that no challenge is too big to overcome. These lessons will stay with me long after basketball ends.”
Adelphi University senior women’s lacrosse standout Devan Crimi and Stonehill College senior field hockey student-athlete Devin Ingersoll were the two other finalists for this year’s prestigious Woman of the Year honor.
The Northeast-10 Conference is an association of 15 NCAA Division II colleges and universities located in New England and New York that is committed to supporting balanced academic and athletic opportunities for more than 6,000 student-athletes. Each year, 4,000 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 23 sports, making the NE-10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the Northeast-10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
– #NE10 –
WBB: Battista Doubles as NE-10 Woman of Year and NE-10 Outstanding Female Scholar-Athlete http://t.co/YPqF7Ktooc #bentleyu #NE10 #NCAAD2
— Bentley Sports Info (@BentleyFalcons) June 3, 2014
