Timms among three CCC student-athletes named institutional nominees for NCAA Woman of the Year
NCAA WOMAN OF THE YEAR INSTUTIONAL NOMINEES CCC WOMAN OF THE YEAR HISTORY
BIDDEFORD, Maine – Three Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) student-athletes were announced as institutional nominees for 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year this afternoon. Representing their respective schools are Sydney Poulin (Watertown, Mass.) from Endicott, Eliza Timms (Agawam, Mass.) from Salve Regina, and Erica Dimmick (Sutton, Mass.) from the University of New England.
The CCC institutional nominees were three of 577 total nominees, including 202 who compete in Division III.
The NCAA Woman of the Year program was established in 1991 and honors the academic achievements, athletics excellence, community service and leadership of graduating female college athletes from all three divisions. To be eligible, a nominee must have competed and earned a varsity letter in an NCAA-sponsored sport and must have earned her undergraduate degree by Summer 2022.
The CCC will announce its conference nominee for the award next week based on a vote of the league's Senior Woman Administrators (SWA).
She, along with all the other conference nominees will be submitted to the NCAA. Then, the NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee identifies the Top 30 – 10 from each division – and from there selects three finalists from each division. From the nine finalists, the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics then selects the NCAA Woman of the Year, who will be named later this fall.
MORE ABOUT THE NOMINEES
Sydney Poulin, Endicott, Field Hockey
Poulin earned her nursing degree from Endicott, while excelling on the field hockey field. Her academic honors include being named to the CCC Academic All-Conference Team three times (2019, 2020, 2021), while also earning honors from the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) in 2018 and 2021. The Endicott senior was also a member of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honors Society for Nursing and was named to Endicott's Dean's List six times. On the field, she earned All-America honors twice as she was named to the Synapse Sports Division III All-America Third Team in 2018 and the NFHCA Division III All-America Second Team in 2021. She was also a three-time NFHCA All-Region selection, earning First Team honors in 2018, 2019, and 2021. She helped the Gulls capture three CCC Tournament Championships (2018, 2019, 2021), advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in all three seasons. She was the CCC 2018 Rookie of the Year and named the CCC Offensive Player of the Year in 2021. The two-year Endicott captain also displayed leadership in other ways both on-campus and in the community. She was part of the EC L.E.A.D. Program, participated in the CCC-wide #lexstrong initiative for Breast Cancer awareness, while also volunteering with Haven for Hunger and the Lifebridge Homeless Shelter. She completed her collegiate career as the Gulls' midfielder with the most goals and points in program history and was also awarded both the Endicott College Athletics Female Athlete of the Year and the Endicott College Athletics Career Achievement Award in 2021-22.
Eliza Timms, Salve Regina, Field Hockey
Timms left her mark on the Salve Regina field hockey program, while completing her bachelor's degree in biochemistry. Throughout her career, she accumulated a number of academic honors including being named to the Dean's List in every semester and graduating magna cum laude. She picked up the American Institute of Chemists Award in 2022 and was also a member of both the Chi Alpha Sigma National College Athlete Honor Society and the Delta Epsilon Sigma Catholic-oriented National Honor Society. Timms was also part of the Pells Honors Program and was honored as a CCC Academic All-Conference team member three times (2019, 2020, 2021) and by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) as a Scholar of Distinction in 2019 and 2020. On the field, she was a 2021 First Team All-Region selection by the NFHCA as well as a member of the CCC All-Conference First Team. The Salve captain was also very active in the community. She was an undergraduate researcher for the chemistry department, served as a laboratory teaching assistant, and was a student-host for Salve Regina. She also participated in fundraising for Lisa's Light of Hope and was a volunteer with the Agawam Congregational Church for the Loaves and Fishes Soup Kitchen and the Newport Quick Stix field hockey program. She finished her Seahawks career as one of the programs top scorers. She was named the 2021-22 Salve Regina Female Athlete of the Year.
Erica Dimmick, University of New England, Soccer, Basketball, Track & Field
Dimmick was a three-sport athlete for the University of New England, competing in soccer, basketball, and outdoor track and field, while completing her degree in animal behavior. She also minored in the mental health rehabilitation technician program. Dimmick's academic accomplishments were plentiful as she was a member of UNE's Dean's List for eight semesters and earned a spot on the CCC Academic All-Conference Team every year from 2019 to 2021. She was also a member of the Psi Chi Honor Society, the Alpha Chi National Honor Society, and the Chia Alpha Sigma National College Athlete Honor Society. Her academic awards include a spot on the 2021 CoSIDA Academic All-District Team in women's soccer, the 2022 UNE Outstanding Student Award for Animal Behavior, the 2022 UNE Female Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and a 2022 CoSIDA Academic All-District selection in women's track and field/cross country. She was also recognized for her performance on the pitch as she was a 2021 United Soccer Coaches All-Region Third Team honoree. Dimmick helped UNE to two CCC Tournament Championships in soccer (2018, 2019) and was an All-Conference Second Team honoree in 2021. She also picked up All-Conference honors in track and field in both 2021 and 2022. As though Dimmick's schedule were not packed enough, she also found time to volunteer as well. On-campus, she was a peer mentor and a member of the student-athlete advisory committee (SAAC). Away from campus, she worked at the Animal Refuge League of Greater Portland, volunteered at the Biddeford Food Pantry, and served as a Future 500 Soccer ID camp counselor. She also had volunteer and internship positions with Canines for Disabled Kids, the Animal Welfare Society, Friends of Willow Rabbit Rescue, and Biddeford Primary School. Dimmick was also the student lead for the Piping Plover Project, which involved putting up fencing around the plover habitat to protect nest on the beach. Dimmick left her mark on the UNE program, leaving with four school records in track and field and earning the 2022 Nor'easter GRIT (Greatness resilience, integrity, tenacity) Strength and Conditioning Team of the Year Award with the track and field team as well as the 2022 UNE Female Athlete and Female Senior-Scholar Athlete of the Year awards.
ABOUT THE COMMONWEALTH COAST CONFERENCE
The Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC), founded in 1984, is an NCAA Division III athletic conference comprised of 10 full member and one associate member institutions throughout the New England region. Its membership aims to provide student-athletes with a positive experience in their pursuit of excellence through high academic standards, quality competition, and a meaningful student life. The conference administers championships in 20 intercollegiate sports.