Saint Joseph's of Maine's Theresa Hendrix Named GNAC Woman of the Year

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Courtesy of SJC Athletics Communications

Monks produce GNAC Woman of
the Year for sixth time in eight years

STANDISH, Maine – The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) announced Thursday that Theresa Hendrix (Scarborough, Maine) has been named the GNAC Woman of the Year. By earning the honor, Hendrix is now a candidate for the NCAA Woman of the Year. 

A four-year member of the Monks’ field hockey, basketball and softball programs, Hendrix graduated Cum Laude in 2014 with a B.S. in Physical Education and supplemented her academic background by attending Health courses while completing her athletic eligibility in field hockey and softball this past year.

One of the finest athletes in the history of Saint Joseph’s College Athletics, Hendrix earned a total of 38 academic and athletic accolades – including the Woman of the Year honor – while starring for the Monks on the field, hardwood and diamond. In the three sports combined, Hendrix played in a grand total of 314 games over 12 seasons, helping her teams post a collective 256-96 (.727) overall record with a 142-32 (.816) mark in conference play along with 12 conference tournament appearances. She competed in a conference championship contest for six different teams with four GNAC Championships and four NCAA Tournament berths.

During her three-sport athletic career, Hendrix claimed nine academic awards, five all-conference honors and three regional accolades and has been selected as the conference player of the week on 10 occasions. She was selected as the 2014 GNAC Field Hockey Defensive Player of the Year and recently earned 2015 Capital One Academic NCAA DIII Softball District 1 All-Academic honors.

Hendrix was also chosen as the 2014 Saint Joseph’s College Athletics Female Athlete of the Year, earned a total of four First Team All-GNAC honors, and collected 2014 First Team National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) All-Region and 2015 First Team ECAC Softball All-New England acclaim.

A three-year team captain for the Monks’ field hockey program and two-year captain for the SJC softball team, Hendrix played an integral role on four GNAC Championship teams – three for softball (2012, 2013, 2014) and one for basketball (2014). For her efforts during postseason play, she earned a total of six All-Tournament honors and was chosen as the 2012 GNAC Softball Tournament Most Valuable Player.

“The hunger to learn, grow and become the best person I can be has become something I strive for daily,” said Hendrix. “We can all learn from those around us, whether it’s a professor, coach, or those in need. They truly care about people and help them better themselves. These people have taught me hard work, heart, passion, desire, determination, and love.”

Also very active outside of athletics, Hendrix served as a contributing member of the Student Government Association (SGA), Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), Physical Education Club and Political Science Club, among others, at Saint Joseph’s.

“Time management was a skill I had to acquire quickly at St. Joe’s,” adds Hendrix. “I found that having multiple commitments helped me to stay focused and being involved in various activities helped me grow in different areas so that I could succeed in them all.”

A four-year starter on the SJC field hockey team, Hendrix – a midfielder - finished her career with 71 games played, 14 goals, 21 assists, and 49 points and is currently tied for fifth in assists and tied for seventh in total points in program history. In 2014, she tallied six goals and 11 assists for 23 points en route to earning All-Conference and All-New England accolades. With Head Coach Rupert Lewis at the helm, Saint Joseph’s posted a 51-21 (.708) overall mark over the last four seasons.

Having missed parts of two seasons, Hendrix – a small forward - played an important role as a two-year starter for the Monks basketball program. Overall, the defensive stalwart appeared in 75 games – with 40 starts – during her hoops career while totaling 209 points, 266 rebounds, 110 assists and 100 steals. In a GNAC title contest versus Norwich University on March 1st, 2014, Hendrix netted 11 points with six rebounds and four steals to help St. Joe’s capture its first conference title since 2001. Under the watch of Head Coach Mike McDevitt ’83, the Monks posted a 77-34 (.694) overall record during her four years at St. Joe’s.

Memorable field hockey and basketball careers notwithstanding, Hendrix may best be remembered for her play on the softball diamond. A transfer from Nyack College, an NCAA DII institution in New York, Hendrix capped her collegiate career with a .391 (195-499) batting average while totaling 135 runs, 51 doubles, 21 triples, 16 homers, 139 RBI and 21 stolen bases in as many attempts over 168 games.

Primarily an outfielder, she is the program's all-time triples leader and ranks second in team history in home runs, slugging (.673), total bases (336) and extra-base hits (88), third in doubles, RBI and OPS (1.131), and fourth in hits. In the circle, Hendrix posted a 16-3 record with seven saves while fanning 96 batters and holding opponents to a .206 average over 129 career innings.

As a senior, Hendrix started in left field, center field and shortstop while also logging a career-high 54.2 innings in the circle this spring. The four-time All-Conference player hit .417 (50-120) with 40 runs, 13 doubles, six triples, six home runs and 11 stolen bases while leading the Monks' pitching staff in ERA (1.92), wins (7), appearances (15), strikeouts (39) and opponents' batting average (.211).

In her final season, Hendrix also led the GNAC in runs, total bases (93), walks (24) and slugging percentage (.775), ranked second in doubles and triples, and third in home runs and RBI. Under the watch of Head Coach Jamie Smyth ’92, Hendrix helped the Royal Blue post a 128-41 (.757) overall record over the last four years.

According to NCAA.org, the NCAA Woman of the Year award "honors graduating student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, community service and leadership."

Hendrix’s honor marks the sixth occurrence over the last eight years that a female athlete from Saint Joseph's College has earned the prestigious GNAC Woman of the Year award. Women's soccer standout Jillian Leger '08 claimed the high honor in 2008, Alyssa Dunn '11, a four-year starter for the Monks' softball and field hockey programs, was recognized in 2011, and Hannah Gajewski '12, a standout swimmer at Saint Joseph's, collected the accolade in 2012. Danyelle Shufelt '13, a four-year member of the SJC basketball and softball programs, claimed the 2013 award and Rachelle Messuri ’14, who stood out as a field hockey and lacrosse player for the Monks, was named as the 2014 GNAC Woman of the Year.

The distinguished field of finalists for the 2015 GNAC Woman of the Year award also included Aliah Curry (Norwich University – Basketball), Nichole Lowe (Anna Maria College - Field Hockey/Softball), Bridget Lynch (Lasell College – Soccer), Deanna Purcell (Rivier University – Basketball) and Lisa Wawrzynowski (University of Saint Joseph – Tennis).

The NCAA established the Woman of the Year Award in 1991 to celebrate the achievements of women in intercollegiate athletics. Now in its 25th year, the award is unique because it recognizes not only the athletics achievements of outstanding young women, but also their academic achievements, level of community service, and leadership abilities.

Annually, NCAA member schools from all three divisions nominate their own woman of the year. To be eligible, these women must have competed and earned a varsity letter in an NCAA-sponsored sport and must have completed eligibility in their primary sport. Conferences then select a conference honoree from their list of school nominees.

Each fall, the NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee then selects the Top 30 – 10 from each division – in early September and then three finalists from each division at the end of September.  The NCAA Committee of Women's Athletics selects the winner from the Top 9.  The Woman of the Year is announced at the annual awards dinner in Indianapolis.  This year's award dinner will take place in Indianapolis on Sunday, October 18th.

A record 147 NCAA female-student-athletes have been named 2015 Woman of the Year honorees by conferences and independent schools. These honorees, selected from the record 480 school nominees, represent college athletes from 18 different sports spanning all three NCAA divisions. Of those recognized, 57 honorees competed in Division I, 39 competed in Division II and 51 competed in Division III.

Founded in 1995, the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 12 member institutions and over 3,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Each year, the GNAC sponsors and administers 17 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunities and community involvement.

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