New Paltz Sports Information Department


INDIANAPOLIS – Senior midfielder Dani Ackerman (Nesconset, N.Y./Smithtown East) from the State University of New York at New Paltz field hockey team has been nominated for the NCAA's Woman of the Year award for the 2015-16 academic year, as announced Tuesday by the NCAA. Ackerman is one of 517 student-athletes across all three divisions of the NCAA to be nominated.
 
The NCAA Woman of the Year award honors graduating female college athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in academics, athletics, service and leadership.
 
Ackerman helped the New Paltz field hockey team win its fourth consecutive State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) title in 2015, earning College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America At-Large, CoSIDA Academic All-District At-Large, National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Second-Team All-America, NFHCA First-Team All-North Atlantic Region, SUNYAC Offensive Player of the Year and First-Team All-SUNYAC honors. One of the most decorated student-athletes in program history, she finished up her career as the program's all-time leader in goals scored (39) and points (98). In addition, she achieved 20 assists during her career, which ranks third all-time in the program's record book. This season, Ackerman tallied five goals and four assists for 14 points. Ackerman started in all 88 of New Paltz's games since her freshman season in 2012, including 22 contests this year. 

Academically, Ackerman has achieved a 3.87 cumulative grade-point average as a communication disorders major. In addition to her athletics and academics, she served as president of New Paltz's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) for two years and also helped launch New Paltz Athletics' STAR (Students Trained as Resources) program. Last month, she earned the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence as a result of her excellence in academics, leadership and athletics. A 2012 graduate of Smithtown High School East, she is the daughter of James and Judy Ackerman.
 
New Paltz tied a single-season program record in wins in 2015, going 16-6 overall (5-1 SUNYAC). The Hawks also hosted their first-ever NCAA Division III Tournament game, beating Simmons College, 1-0, in the first round on Nov. 11 at the North Turf Field.
 
This pool of school honorees marks the largest in the 26-year history of the award. Of the nominees for the national award, 231 competed in Division I, 117 competed in Division II and 169 competed in Division III athletics. The nominees also represent 21 different women's sports, and 127 of the nominees competed in more than one sport in college.
 
The NCAA encourages member schools to honor their top graduating female student-athletes each year by submitting their names for consideration for the Woman of the Year award.
 
Next, conferences assess their member school nominees and select up to two conference nominees. The Woman of the Year selection committee, made up of representatives from the NCAA membership, will then choose the top 30 honorees – 10 from each division.
 
From the top 30, the selection committee determines the top three honorees from each division and announces the nine finalists in September. The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics then chooses from among those nine to determine the 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year.
 
The top 30 honorees will be celebrated and the 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year winner will be announced at the annual award ceremony Oct. 16 in Indianapolis.

NCAA Press Release