South Easton, Mass. - The Northeast-10 Conference Senior Women Administrator (SWA) council has selected Bryant University two-sport student-athlete Maureen Burns as the NCAA Woman of the Year Conference Winner. Burns, a first-team all-conference pick in the sports of field hockey and women's lacrosse, in addition to being named the Northeast-10 Women's Lacrosse Defensive Player of the Year, graduated from Bryant in May.

"I congratulate Maureen and the Bryant University athletic department on this prestigious selection," Commissioner David Brunk said.

"During her tenure at Bryant, Maureen was a leader and a major contributor to the field hockey and women's lacrosse teams, as well as within the Northeast-10 and the NCAA tournaments," Brunk continued. "More significantly, she was also an active member of the community, volunteering her time to various programs such as Make-A-Wish, Adopt-A-Family and the Special Olympics."

On the field, Burns was a five time All-Conference selection, two-time regional All-America pick and a three-time national All-America honoree.

"This is a tremendous honor for Maureen, and I am so proud of everything she has accomplished in the classroom, playing arenas and in the community," said Coni Fichera, Bryant head field hockey coach. "She is truly a unique young woman, truly conscious of her responsibility as a role model and a leader in the community."

"It is no accident that the standards of excellence of both our field hockey and women's lacrosse programs elevated with her arrival on campus," Fichera continued. "Every time the bar was raised, she more than exceeded expectations, and being good was never enough for Mo, she worked hard to make others great."

Burns was the Bryant Student Athlete Advisory Committee Co-Chair for the 2005-2006 school year, as well as the Make-A-Wish Fundraising Committee Chair. She coordinated the Adopt-A-Family program and the Thanksgiving Food Drive. She served on the Campus Diversity Council and the Campus Recognition Awards Committee.

On the field hockey team, Burns was a member of Bryant's 2002 and 2003 NCAA Championship Semi-Finalist squads. In both those years, the Bulldogs were the Northeast-10 Conference Regular Season Champions. She captained the field hockey team in 2005 and was named a National Field Hockey Coaches' Association Second Team All-America in 2004 and 2005. She was named First Team All-Conference in the Northeast-10 on three occasions and was the Northeast-10 Freshman of the Year in 2002.

During the spring, Burns traded in her field hockey stick for a lacrosse stick and secured the defense for the Bulldogs. She was named First Team All-America in 2006 by the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches' Association. She led her team to back-to-back Northeast-10 Tournament title games in 2003 and 2004. In addition, she was a three-time Northeast-10 All Conference selection in lacrosse and captained the lacrosse team during her senior year and was named the Northeast-10 Defensive Player of the Year.

Burns was also recently rewarded as the Bryant University Female Athlete of the Year. A Dean's List student, Burns is from Derry, New Hampshire.

The NCAA Woman of the Year award honors senior student-athletes for their cumulative collegiate achievements in service, leadership, athletics and academics.

Effective this year, the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics (CWA) made significant changes to the nomination process. Upon receiving nominations from its member institutions, each conference selects a conference nominee based on collective achievements in service, leadership, athletics and academics.

All conference nominees are forwarded to the Woman of the Year selection committee. The selection committee will select the top 10 winners in each division. From among those 30 honorees, the selection committee will determine the top three in each division. Finally, the members of the CWA will vote from among the top nine to determine the 2006 NCAA Woman of the Year.

The top 10 honorees from Divisions I, II and III will be honored, and the 2006 NCAA Woman of the Year announced, at a dinner in Indianapolis October 28, 2006.

The Northeast-10 is one of the largest and is the most diverse NCAA Division II playing conference in the nation. It sponsors 23 championship sports including baseball, men's basketball, women's basketball, men's cross country, women's cross country, football, field hockey, men's golf, men's ice hockey, men's lacrosse, women's lacrosse, men's soccer, women's soccer, men's indoor track and field, women's indoor track and field, men's outdoor track and field, women's outdoor track and field, men's tennis, women's tennis, softball, women's volleyball, men's swimming and diving, and women's swimming and diving.

Members of the Northeast-10 include American International College, Assumption College, Bentley College, Bryant University, Franklin Pierce, Le Moyne College, The University of Massachusetts Lowell, Merrimack College, Pace University, Saint Anselm College, Saint Michael's College, The College of Saint Rose, Southern Connecticut State University, Southern New Hampshire University, and Stonehill College.