Wadeline Jonathas, a freshman from the University of Massachusetts Boston, was named the DIII Honda Athlete of the Year nominee for Track & Field as announced by Executive Director Chris Voelz of THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) presented by Honda.

Jonathas is now designated one of 11 finalists for the prestigious DIII Honda Woman Athlete of the Year. This will be voted on at the end of the academic year by national balloting among 1,000 NCAA member schools as part of THE CWSA program, now in its 41st year.

"I am truly honored to be nominated for this award, “ said Jonathas. “This year has meant so much to me and I could not have done it without the support of my teammates, coaches, and the community at UMass Boston."

A native of Gonaives, Haiti, Jonathas was recently named the DIII United States Track & Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Outdoor Track Performer of the Year after capturing two DIII NCAA Individual Championships in the 200 meters and 400 meters, while setting new DIII NCAA records in each event. She also sits third all-time in DIII history in the 100 meters as well.

The only Beacon to ever be named the USTFCCCA Division III Track Athlete of the Week, Jonathas set a program record for most gold medals won at the conference championships.  She would then go on to post top finish after top finish at the regional championships.

"We can all agree that Wadeline had a great season as a freshman, “stated head coach Consandria Walker. “It's truly an honor to see how just a humble individual she is but most importantly she genuinely cares about her teammates above herself. That kind of maturity is hard to find as a freshman.”

All Honda Sports nominees from DIII and DII become a finalist for the prestigious 2017 Honda Woman Athlete of the Year in their respective divisions, presented in a live telecast on CBS Sports on June 26, 2017, in downtown Los Angeles. The Honda Sports nominees are recognized in 11 DIII and DII NCAA-sanctioned sports; cross country, basketball, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, volleyball, and track & field.

THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards has honored the nation’s top NCAA women athletes for 41 years, recognizing superior athletic skills, leadership, academic excellence and eagerness to participate in community service.   Since commencing its sponsorship in 1986, Honda has provided more than $3.1 million in institutional grants to the universities of the award winners and nominees to support women’s athletics programs at the institutions.