Carly Muscaro, a senior track & field student-athlete from Merrimack College, was named the DII Honda Athlete of the Year as announced by Executive Director Chris Voelz of THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) presented by Honda.

Muscaro will be presented with this honor on a live telecast on CBS Sports Network on June 26, 2017, (6 pm PT /9 pm EST) in the Founders’ Room at the Galen Center on the campus of the University of Southern California in downtown Los, Angeles.  The honor was voted on by national balloting among 1,000 NCAA member schools as part of the CWSA program, now in its 41st year.

"I am so grateful to be receiving this distinguished award!” said Muscaro.  “I have been extremely fortunate to have so much support from my family, coaches, friends and the entire Merrimack College community and administration. Without them, this would not have been possible. I also want to thank those who thought I was worthy of such a prestigious honor; to be considered the Division II Honda Athlete of the Year is humbling and incredibly gratifying, and I cannot think of a better way to conclude my time at Merrimack. I cannot wait to see where the next steps of my track and field career take me and having this award has made my journey that much more special."

Hailing from Ashland, Mass., Muscaro was recently named the United States Track & Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) DII Outdoor Track Performer of the Year after capturing two DII NCAA Individual Championships in the 200 meters and 400 meters. She scored all 20 points for Merrimack at the 2017 NCAA Outdoor National Championships. She was a five-time USTFCCCA DII first-team All-American in both indoor and outdoor track this season and overall is a 12-time USTFCCCA All-American with six career national titles to her name.

Muscaro was also named the Most Outstanding Track Performer at the 2017 Northeast 10 (NE10) Conference Championship and closes her career with six NE10 Conference titles. In addition to her performance on the track, she is the 2017 NE10 Woman’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year and is a two-time USTFCCCA All-Academic honoree.

"Carly winning the DII Honda Athlete of the Year award is a truly amazing accomplishment and speaks volumes to the true talent that she is, “ said Merrimack College Assistant Track & Field Coach (Sprints) Peter Early. “While she has collected many awards along her amazing journey, this one certainly stands out to me in that her greatness not only stood out amongst track and field student-athletes, but all Division II women's student-athletes, making it that much more incredible. Her winning the Honda Award is a true testament to how special she is, and as a program we could not be more proud."

“Carly has had an unbelievable and unprecedented career here at Merrimack College, “said Director of Athletics Jeremy Gibson. “Our entire community couldn't be more thrilled for her.”

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.