Rachel Dickinson, a senior defender from the Millersville University field hockey team, was named the 2015 Honda DII Athlete of the Year as announced by Executive Director Chris Voelz of THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) presented by Honda.
Dickinson will be presented with the honor at the live telecast of the 2015 Collegiate Women Sports Awards Show presented by Honda on Monday, June 29th, on CBS Sports Network at 6 PT/9 ET pm, at the USC Galen Center Founders Room in Los Angeles, Calif.
“I feel very honored and humbled to receive this award,” said Dickinson. “I am also excited to represent Millersville University. I can’t thank my family, teammates and coaches enough. This award also belongs to them.”
The honor was voted on by national balloting among 1,000 NCAA member schools as part of THE CWSA program, now in its 39th year. Finalists for the award included Jessica Bradley (Lynn, golf), Shareta Brown (Wayne State, basketball), Patricia Castro-Ortega (Queens N.C., swim & dive), Marti Corby (Grand Valley State, soccer), Kendra Foley (Grand Valley State, cross country), Emily Oren (Hillsdale, track & field), Jessica Pandolf (Lock Haven, lacrosse), Courtney Poole (North Georgia, softball), Berkley Whaley (Tampa, volleyball) and Nannan Zhang (BYU Hawaii, tennis).
Dickinson, a native of Millersville, Pa., led her squad to the 2014 DII National Championship title and helped anchor a defense that posted a school-record 13 shutouts on the year and ranked first nationally in goals against average (0.58). She was named the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFCA) Division II Player of the Year and earned Capital One Academic All-America second-team honors with a 3.5 cumulative GPA.
The senior is a three-time NFHCA All-America first-team selection and four-time All-PSAC honoree, earning first-team honors three times. This season she was named the PSAC Defensive Player of the Year and finished the year with seven goals and nine assists. Her nine assists ranked second on the team. She was the PSAC East and Synapse Sports Division II Rookie of the Year in 2011.
“It is just fantastic to have Rachel be selected as the Honda Division II Athlete of the Year,” said head coach Shelly Behrens. “What an amazing award for her, our field hockey program and Millersville University. To be recognized as this award winner amongst so many accomplished student-athletes is such a testament to Rachel as a person and how she competed and represented Millersville field hockey. This award is the best of the best for any amateur athlete. Rachel is deserving of this this award as she truly represents all that is right and good about collegiate athletics today.”
THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards has honored the nation’s top NCAA women athletes for 39 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 $3.0 million in institutional grants to the universities of the award winners and nominees to support women’s athletics programs at the institutions.