Jackie Jahelka, a junior attack from Adelphi University, was named the women’s lacrosse nominee for the Class of 2016 Division II Honda Athlete of the Year award as announced by Chris Voelz, Executive Director of THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) today.

She is now designated one of 11 finalists for the prestigious DII 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 40th year.

“I was very excited to hear that I was nominated for this prestigious award,” stated Jahelka. “Without my teammates, coaches, the athletic department at Adelphi and of course my family, this nomination would not be possible."

The junior from Garden City, N.Y., was the 2016 Northeast-10 Player of the Year and a 2016 First-Team Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) All-American. She helped lead her team to an undefeated 21-0 record entering the DII NCAA Championship title game before falling short by a goal in the finals.

Jahelka became just the sixth player in program history to top the 100-point plateau in a season ending her year with 104 points on 80 goals and 24 assists. She finished ranked first in the country in total goals scored and ranked 10th in goals per game (3.64). At Adelphi, she currently ranks second in single season history for goals in a season.

All sports nominees from DII and DIII become a finalist for the prestigious 2016 Honda Collegiate Athlete of the Year in their respective divisions, and will be presented on a live telecast on June 27, 2016, in the Founders’ Room at the Galen Center on the campus of the University of Southern California in downtown Los, Angeles.

The sports nominees are recognized in 11 DII and DIII NCAA-sanctioned sports; cross country, basketball, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, volleyball, and track & field.

The CWSA, celebrating its 40^th year, has honored the nation’s top NCAA women athletes recognizing superior athletic skills, leadership, academic excellence and eagerness to participate in community service.  Since commencing its sponsorship thirty years ago 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.