Adelphi's Chelsea Abreu Tabbed Top 30 Candidate for NCAA Woman of the Year Award

Adelphi's Chelsea Abreu Tabbed Top 30 Candidate for NCAA Woman of the Year Award
Posted: Sep 10, 2019

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - The National Collegiate Athletic Association has narrowed down its pool of nominees for its 2019 Woman of the Year award, and recent Adelphi women's lacrosse graduate Chelsea Abreu has made the cut as a Top 30 honoree.

Abreu is one of just 30 distinct student-athletes to be chosen out of an initial group of 585 nominees. The Top 30 honorees include 10 from each of the three NCAA divisions, and each has demonstrated excellence in academics, athletics, community service and leadership.

"To be considered one of the Top 30 nominees, in itself, is an incredible task. I am so blessed and humbled to be in the conversation as a Top 30 honoree," Abreu said. "It's a great reflection, not only on this University, but also my teammates and all of those people that have helped me over the years to put me in a position that I am in today to be successful. Without them, I would not be one of these honorees."

Abreu also added: "I think that it's really important to recognize the other great honorees that have been brought into this conversation -- all of whom are extremely deserving individuals. Just to be considered along such incredibly-talented individuals and females in their respective sports, it is something that I take a lot of pride in. It's very humbling. I am grateful for this opportunity and excited to see what's to come. I am so thankful to the NCAA for placing me in the Top 30 and I hope that I am making Division II -- specifically, Adelphi -- proud."

It is difficult to find many deserving nominees that have helped lead their team to a pair of national championships (2017, 2019) over their four-year career. That includes three-straight Northeast-10 Conference titles from 2016-18.

On the field, Abreu had a decorated senior year for the Panthers, which saw her record 33 goals and 11 assists for 44 points. Two of those goals were game-winners, including the deciding tally with 32 seconds left in a thrilling 12-11 double-overtime win against Le Moyne in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. She scored 10 of her 33 goals on the biggest stage, en route to being named to the NCAA National All-Tournament Team.

Abreu finished her collegiate career with 71 goals and 90 points, in addition to 199 draw controls. Her 106 draws as a senior were the most for a Panther since 2015 and her 199 career draws are fourth-most all-time in program history.

The 2019 NE10 Woman of the Year, Abreu boasted an outstanding 3.98 grade-point average in her undergraduate tenure at Adelphi. As a result, she was recognized to the CoSIDA Academic All-District and NE10 Academic All-Conference teams.

Abreu was also active in the community, serving on the executive board of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for two years and helping to facilitate her team's collaborative efforts with the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation. The steps she took led the AU women's lacrosse program to adopt five-year-old Alexia "Lexi" Corvino, who suffers from a rare mitochondrial disease.

"Chelsea is really a one-of-a-kind type of student-athlete. That's on the field, off the field, in the classroom and in the community. She fills all of the categories," said Adelphi associate head women's lacrosse coach Frankie Caridi. "She is someone that you really want to be a part of your program. This (award) wasn't something that really surprised us, because she epitomizes what a true NCAA student-athlete is."

In early-October, the selection committee for NCAA Woman of the Year will announce nine finalists -- made up of three women from each NCAA division. From those finalists, the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics will select the 2019 NCAA Woman of the Year. The Top 30 honorees will be celebrated and the NCAA Woman of the Year will be announced on Oct. 20 at a ceremony in Indianapolis.

-Release provided by Adelphi athletic communications staff-

ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 14 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete. 

Each year, 4,500 student-athletes compete in conference championships, making the NE10 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 NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.