Angelina Porcello, a senior midfielder from the Pace University lacrosse team, was named the DII Honda Athlete of the Year finalist for lacrosse for the second year in a row as announced today by Executive Director Chris Voelz of THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) presented by Honda.
Porcello is now designated one of 11 finalists for the prestigious DII Honda 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 48th year.
“I am so incredibly honored to be a finalist for the DII Honda Athlete of the Year Award and have the opportunity to represent women’s lacrosse again this year,” said Porcello. “This nomination means so much to me especially to be recognized alongside the best athletes in the country in their respective sports. I would like to thank my coaches, teammates, the entire Pace community, and, above all, my family and friends, whose unwavering support and belief in me have been constant throughout my journey. Above my individual achievements, my main goals this year have been to have the most fun playing my final year of lacrosse and to always play for something bigger than just myself. Pace Women’s lacrosse has had an unforgettable season filled with historic milestones, and I am privileged to have played a part in these achievements, alongside a truly special group of women.”
In back-to-back seasons, Porcello was recently named the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Player of the Year and Midfielder of the Year. The senior is a three-time IWLCA First Team All-American and was named to the IWLCA Senior All-Star team. She helped her team to a 21-1 overall record, including a perfect 11-0 in Northeast 10 (NE10) Conference play en route to NE10 regular season and conference championship titles.
Earlier in the year, she repeated as the NE10 Midfielder of the Year and earned her third straight nod to the NE10 All-Conference First Team. Her play in the conference championship led to her first NE10 All-Tournament team honor.
Hailing from Eastchester, N.Y., the midfielder led Pace in almost all major categories including goals (40), assists (47), points (117), ground balls (79), caused turnovers (70) and draw controls (107). She ranked second nationally in caused turnovers per game (3.18) and was seventh nationally in points.
Overall, she received 10 weekly honors from various outlets, including being recognized five times as the NE10 Defensive Player of the Week. She recorded a point in every game this season while scoring in every game except one.
Off the field, she is a three-time member of the NE10 Academic Honor Roll and earned NE10 Academic All-Conference accolades as well as CSC Academic All-District honors.
“We are so proud of Angelina and the way in which she represents our program and University”, stated head coach and NE10 Coach of the Year Tricia Molfetta. “Angelina is a generational talent and has been a trailblazer for our sport. She has competed with respect, passion and grit her entire career and has left her mark on our program as the most prolific player in our short 10-year history. Angelina embodies excellence in every aspect of what she does both on the field and in the classroom. She treated her teammates with the utmost care and was a truly selfless player her entire career, the moment was never too big for her and our team innately followed her lead in those crucial games. She made every player on our team believe they were capable of greatness. How she carried herself as a student, leader, teammate, and competitor is what we will talk about in our program for years to come. Angelina is extremely deserving of this recognition and it’s an honor for her to be considered, we are so proud!”
All Honda Sports nominees from DII and DIII become a finalist for the prestigious 2024 Honda Athlete of the Year in their respective divisions, presented in a live telecast on CBS Sports Network on Monday, June 24, 2024, at 7 PM ET, from its new home in New York City.
The Honda Award finalists are recognized in 11 DII and DIII NCAA-sanctioned sports; cross country, basketball, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, volleyball, and track & field.
The CWSA, entering its 48th year, has honored the nation’s top NCAA women athletes for their superior athletic skills, leadership, academic excellence and eagerness to participate in community service. Since commencing its partnership in 1986, Honda has provided more than $3.4 million in institutional grants to the universities of the award winners and nominees to support women’s athletics programs.
About Honda Corporate Social Responsibility
For more than 60 years in the U.S., Honda has been committed to making positive contributions to the communities where its associates live and work. Honda’s mission is to create products and services that improve the lives of people while conducting its business in a sustainable manner and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. Accordingly, Honda believes in helping people reach their life’s potential through its focus on the areas of education, the environment, mobility, traffic safety and community. Learn more at http://csr.honda.com/.