BROCKPORT, N.Y. — From 535 school nominees, 153 college athletes have been named conference-level nominees for the 2021 NCAA Woman of the Year Award, six of whom are field hockey student-athletes.
Kailyn Brandt from Washington College, Giuliana Kevlin from New England College, Julia Lanctot from Colby-Sawyer College, Kaelyn Long from Bucknell University, Jordan Olenginski from Saint Joseph’s University, and Clara Roth from Princeton University were nominated by their respective conferences to be considered for the prestigious award.
Established in 1991, the NCAA Woman of the Year award is rooted in Title IX and recognizes graduating female college athletes who have exhausted their NCAA eligibility and distinguished themselves in academics, athletics, service and leadership throughout their collegiate careers.
The full list of nominees represent student-athletes from 18 different sports spanning all three NCAA divisions. Of those nominated, 57 nominees competed in Division I, 36 in Division II and 60 in Division III.
Kailyn Brandt, Washington College, Centennial Conference, Division III
A biology major and chemistry minor from White Hall, Maryland, Brandt graduated this spring with a 3.92 cumulative grade point average and departmental honors in biology. She was honored with an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship and collected several distinguished honors from the Washington College athletic department, including the Elizabeth “Bo” Blanchard Memorial Sportsmanship Award in 2020 and the Senior Athletic Award in 2021. She was also a four-time NFHCA Scholar of Distinction and National Academic Squad honoree.
On the field, Brandt was a standout forward and team captain. As a freshman in 2017, she earned Centennial Conference Rookie of the Year honors after setting a Washington College program record with 26 points in her opening campaign. In just three seasons, she compiled 57 points on 24 goals and 9 assists, was a three-time All-Centennial honoree, including two first-team accolades, and a two-time NFHCA South Region second team selection.
Read Washington College’s full release.
Giuliana Kevlin, New England College, New England Collegiate Conference, Division III
Kevlin, a two-sport student-athlete in field hockey and lacrosse at New England College excelled in both arenas, collecting a total of three all-conference honors. She recently graduated with a degree in history and was inducted into Chi Alpha Sigma and the National Student-Athlete Honor Society. Kevlin was also a three-time NFHCA National Academic Squad honoree and earned New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Academic All-Conference honors in each of her eligible semesters.
Kevlin earned First Team All-Conference honors for women’s lacrosse in 2019 and 2021, and second-team All-Conference honors in field hockey in 2019. In 2019, she helped the women’s lacrosse team win their first conference title since 2004.
Kevlin worked to make positive changes for student-athletes as the NEC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) President, a role she held for two years. She also served as the college’s senior class president. Kevlin’s impact wasn’t limited to her campus, as she also made an impact at the conference level, serving as a student-specialist for the NECC. She recently earned a spot at the 2021 NCAA Emerging Leaders Seminar, in which selected participants to gain valuable insight into college athletics, develop leadership skills and strengthen their professional network.
Read New England College’s full release.
Julia Lanctot, Colby-Sawyer College, Great Northeast Athletic Conference, Division III
Lanctot serves as the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) president for Colby-Sawyer, and works with the GNAC SAAC Commissioner’s Council. In addition, she has worked as a Student Ambassador for the Office of Admissions, was the Vice President of the Alpha Chi National Honor Society, an Advancement Ambassador for the Office of Advancement, Assistant to the Program Manager in the Colby-Sawyer athletics department, and a member of the Presidential Blue Sky Society (PBKS). She is also a three-time NFHCA Scholar of Distinction.
Lanctot received a number of awards from the Colby-Sawyer community — she received the Barbra Johnson Sterns Award which is given to a Charger senior that has demonstrated leadership and dedication to the college community, and the Wynn Jesser McGrew Scholar-Athlete Award, which is given to a graduating female senior who has made a significant impact to both the scholastic and varsity programs of the College.
On the turf, Lanctot played in 52 games throughout her career. She ranks third in career assists with 12, sixth in career points with 36 and eighth in career goals with 12.
Kaelyn Long, Bucknell University, Patriot League, Division I
This past season, Long was named an NFHCA All-American after putting together a stellar senior campaign that helped guide Bucknell University to their first Patriot League title and a first-round win in the NCAA tournament. Long scored the game-winning goal in overtime of the Patriot League Championship, earning her tournament MVP honors. A two-time All-Patriot League selection, she totaled 25 points over her career with seven assists and nine goals, including four game-winners. Elected as a team captain during her senior year, Long totaled 47 starts and 64 games played during her career.
Long earned her bachelor’s degree in early childhood education with a cumulative grade-point average of 3.93. She was a two-time Academic All-Patriot League Team member, a four-time NFHCA National Academic Squad honoree, and a two-time NFHCA Scholar of Distinction. Additionally, Long was a 2021 recipient of Bucknell’s Alvin F. Jackson Award, recognizing her outstanding academic and athletic achievements.
In the Bison community, Long served as a member of the Bucknell Athletics Leadership Institute, was a Bucknell Buddies tutor, and was a sports writer for the Bucknellian student newspaper. As part of her education qualifications, Long worked as a student teacher in third and fourth-grade classrooms during her senior year. Long also helped found the Bison Cares program, which involves student-athletes from each sport taking on community service projects, and coached local club field hockey teams. She was chosen by Bucknell to participate in the Naval Academy Leadership Conference and the NCAA Career in Sports Forum during winter 2020.
Photo credit: Sideline Photos, LLC
Jordan Olenginski, Saint Joseph’s University, Atlantic 10 Conference, Division I
Olenginski was a key component of Saint Joseph’s University’s three consecutive Atlantic 10 regular-season and tournament championships between 2017 and 2019 and was named the winner of the Saint Joseph’s Class of 1950 Award, bestowed upon the most outstanding student-athletes of the senior class. She was also chosen for the NFHCA Division I Senior Team this season. She is a two-time NFHCA All-Region Second Team selection, while earning First Team All-Atlantic 10 honors in 2019 and Second Team All-Atlantic 10 accolades in 2020. She was also named to the Atlantic 10 All-Championship Team in both 2017 and 2019.
Olenginski excelled academically as well. She was named to the 2021 CoSIDA Academic All-District At-Large Team while earning three Atlantic 10 All-Academic Team honors and two Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area Team nods during her career. She was also named an NFHCA Scholar of Distinction and earned National Academic Squad honors four times. Olenginski was also chosen to take part in the 2020 NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum and helped create the SJU chapter of Project Sunshine, a service group that works with pediatric patients and their families.
Clara Roth, Princeton University, The Ivy League, Division I
Roth is a two-time All-American field hockey player who also earned three All-Ivy and All-Region selections as a Princeton Tiger.
During her stellar junior season which saw the Tigers reach the NCAA National Championship game, Roth was named a Honda Sport Award Finalist, NFHCA First-Team All-American, NFHCA Mid-Atlantic Region Player of the Year, and first-team All-Ivy. She led all Ivy players in points and goals-per-game as she set career highs in both categories. As a sophomore, Roth collected her first All-America selection after being named the Ivy Offensive Player of the Year. She led the squad in goals, more than doubling her total from the year prior, and points. Roth is one of only 11 players in Princeton Field Hockey history to record 100 career points, nabbing 35 goals, 31 assists. Her 31 helpers are tied for seventh all-time.
Academically, Roth was a four-time NFHCA National Academic Squad selection, was named Academic All-Ivy in 2019 and 2020, and was honored with the Thorp van Dusen Goodfellow ’41 Award and the PNC Student-Athlete Achiever Award in 2019.