Melissa Mackley
Gustavus Adolphus College senior hockey student-athlete Melissa Mackley has been named as one of two nominees from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference’s (MIAC) for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award. Mackley and University of St. Thomas softball player Alison Wright will now wait to hear if they will be chosen as one of ten finalists from Division III, which will be announced in August. The NCAA Woman of the Year Award honors senior student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service, and leadership.
Mackley (Burnsville, Minn./Burnsville HS) was a four-year regular at forward on the Gustavus women’s hockey team and a First Team All-America honoree in both 2009 and 2010. She completed her career ranked ninth all-time in career scoring at Gustavus with 33 goals and 69 assists for 102 points. Mackley played in all 114 games the Gusties played during her career, which ranks second all-time and her 69 career assists rank fourth all-time. In the 2009-10 season, Mackley scored a career high 30 points (12 goals and 18 assists) and was captain of a Gustavus squad that finished fourth at the NCAA Championships, compiling a record of 22-6-2 overall.
A Phi Beta Kappa honoree, Mackley is a biology major with a 3.96 grade point average. She is a three-time academic all-conference selection and a 2009 CoSIDA Academic All-America honoree. She plans to pursue a medical degree at the University of Minnesota. In addition to her success on the rink and in the classroom, Mackley has been active on campus serving as an officer for the Tri-Beta Biology Honor Society and as a mentor with the Diversity Peer Mentor program. She also took part in Habitat for Humanity, Feed My Starving Children, Relay for Life, and Re-Build Together.
Mackley becomes the third Gustavus female student athlete to be honored as a NCAA Woman of the Year national nominee. Sarah Edmonds was one of ten national finalists in 1993 and Sarah Moe was also one of ten national finalists in 2002.
In order to be eligible for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award, nominees must have:
– Completed intercollegiate eligibility in her primary sport by the end of the 2009-2010 competitive season and received her undergraduate degree prior to the conclusion of the summer 2010 term.
– A minimum cumulative grade-point average of 2.500 (4.000 scale).
In August, the top 10 honorees per division will be announced for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award. In September, the field of 30 semifinalists will be narrowed to three per division. The top 10 honorees and the nine finalists from Divisions I, II, and III will be honored and the 2010 NCAA Woman of the Year winner announced at a dinner in Indianapolis on October 17, 2010.