Vermont swimmer Feierabend nominated for American East Woman of the Year

5/11/2015 | General

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – University of Vermont student-athletes Mallory Duncan and Ilsa Feierabend are nominees for the America East Man and Woman of the Year honor, respectively. The duo are among 22 men and women from America East schools up the award.To be nominated, student-athletes must have completed their intercollegiate eligibility in their primary sport by the end of the 2015 spring season or received an undergraduate degree prior to the conclusion of the summer 2015 term and have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.50.

Feierabend, a member of the women’s swimming and diving team, was the recipient of the athletic department’s Wasson Athletic Prize as the top female scholar-athlete in the senior class. She owns a 3.78 GPA as a communications sciences and disorders major with a minor in gerontology.

Feierabend was named to the America East All-Academic Team for the second straight season and is a two-time member of the America East Commissioner’s Honor Roll.

A team captain this season, she was an America East All-Conference selection for the second straight year. She posted the second fastest time in the breaststroke at the America East Championships and was a member of the relay squad that set a new varsity record in the 400-medley relay.

Duncan, a business administration major, was the MVP of the men’s outdoor track and field team this season. He won the America East men’s 400-meter hurdles for the third straight at the conference championship meet two weeks ago. He became just the second male athlete in America East history to win the 400-meter hurdles three consecutive years. Duncan posted a time of 52.51 to break his own school record and won the race by more than a half second over the second place finisher.

The nominees will be narrowed down to three finalists on Wednesday (May 13) and the winners will be announced at the conference’s Annual Meeting in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire on June 2.

The America East Woman of the Year will be forwarded to the NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee. The selection committee will select the top 10 winners in each NCAA division (I, II and III). From the 30 honorees, the selection committee will determine the top three in each division. Finally, the members of the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics will vote to determine the 2015 NCAA Woman of the Year.

This is the second year America East will hand out the Man of the Year award. The league has awarded a Woman of the Year since 2006. Athletic Directors and administrators at the nine America East institutions voted to begin awarding a Man of the Year starting with the 2013-14 academic year.