For Immediate Release
June 7, 2011
South Easton, Mass. – University of New Haven graduate student Shannon Gagne was named the 2010-2011 Northeast-10 Conference Woman of the Year it was announced Tuesday evening. The award winner is chosen by the conference's Senior Woman Administrator (SWA) Council.
Gagne will now be forwarded to the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics, which manages the nomination process and selection for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award. The award honors graduating student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership.
Gagne was recognized at the Northeast-10 end of the year banquet, which took place Tuesday night in Providence, R.I.
Gagne finished her athletic career as one of the most decorated student-athletes in the conference's history. A member of the cross country and track and field teams at New Haven, she recently won two individual national championships at the NCAA Outdoor Championship Meet in the 200 and 400 meter dashes. Earlier this year, Gagne won three national titles at the NCAA Indoor Championship Meet in the 200, 400, and the long jump. Her five national titles make her one of just three student-athletes at the Division II level to ever accomplish the feat in one year.
Her individual accomplishments helped lead New Haven to their highest team finishes at the NCAA National Championship Meets. At the indoor meet in March, the Chargers placed fourth overall, while at the outdoor meet in May, they finished ninth. Both finishes were largely due to the Gagne's outstanding efforts.
The graduate student from Meriden, Conn. was also recognized this year as the Northeast-10 Conference's Indoor and Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year, as well as being named the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Indoor and Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year.
"Shannon truly exemplifies the Division II student-athlete," said Debbie Chin, the Associate Vice President, Director of Athletics and Recreation at New Haven. "She came to New Haven as a walk-on and ended up winning five national championships as a senior."
She is pursuing her master's in national security and currently has a 3.95 grade point average and received her undergraduate degree, majoring in criminal justice, with a 3.93 GPA. Gagne was named to the Dean's List each semester at New Haven, and was the school's Hatfield Scholar Recipient, which is awarded for competitive scholarship for honors students only. Gagne was named to the NE-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll each semester she was eligible, and was the Northeast-10 Scholar Athlete Excellence Award recipient in 2011. She is the head volunteer for the school's legal society and volunteers at the West Haven Community House, serving as a student mentor.
Chin continued, "Obviously, Shannon excelled in the classroom, but she also was very active in the community and spoke on campus at a number of events, including our hall of fame dinner and student-athlete brunch. I can't say anything more about Shannon and how proud I am of all of her accomplishments."
The Northeast-10 is an association of 16 NCAA Division II colleges and universities located in New England and New York that are committed to supporting balanced academic and athletic opportunities for more than 6,500 student-athletes. Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in Conference championships in 23 sports, making the NE-10 the largest DII conference in the country. 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.
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