Emma Hayes-Hurley, a senior midfielder from SUNY Cortland, was named the lacrosse nominee for the Class of 2015 Division III Honda Athlete of the Year as announced by Executive Director Chris Voelz of THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) presented by Honda.

She is now designated one of 11 finalists for the prestigious DIII Honda Athlete of the Year honor. This will be voted on at the end of the academic year by national balloting among 1,000 NCAA member schools as part of THE CWSA program, now in its 39th year.

"It’s such an honor to be nominated for this award,“ said Hayes-Hurley.  “Not just for me but for Cortland athletics as a whole.”

The senior from Huntington, N.Y., was recently named a first-team All-American by the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWCLA) and was the ECAC Div. III Mid-Atlantic Offensive Player of the Year and the SUNYAC Women’s Lacrosse Player of the Year. She is a two-time SUNYAC first-team honoree and captained her squad to a 22-1 record and its first-ever NCAA Div. III national title this season.  

Hayes-Hurley finished the campaign third on the Red Dragon squad with 72 goals and 90 total points in 23 contests. She led the team and Div. III nationally with 180 draw controls and recorded 42 ground balls. In three seasons at Cortland, Hayes-Hurley ranks 10th with 164 career goals and 14th with 200 points.

"Overall, Emma is a total-package player,“ said head coach Kelly Lickert-Orr.  “She is dominant on the draw circle, controls the tempo in transition and on offense and is settled on defense. Outside of stats, she is your hustle player, works through exhaustion and is a great teammate and leader.”

 All sports nominees from DIII and DII become a finalist for the prestigious 2015 Honda Collegiate Athlete of the Year in their respective divisions, presented in June. The sports nominees are recognized in 11 DIII and DII NCAA-sanctioned sports; cross country, basketball, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, volleyball, and track & field.

THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards has honored the nation’s top NCAA women athletes for 39 years, recognizing superior athletic skills, leadership, academic excellence and eagerness to participate in community service.   Since commencing its sponsorship in 1986, Honda has provided more than $3.0 million in institutional grants to the universities of the award winners and nominees to support women’s athletics programs at the institutions.