BRUNSWICK, Maine - A pair of Bowdoin athletes have been
named finalists to represent the New England Small College Athletic
Conference as its 2013 NCAA Woman of the Year nominee.
Recently-graduated Elena Crosley '13 and Melissa Haskell '13 are
two of the NESCAC's six finalists for the nomination, which will be
determined by a committee of conference administrators in the
coming weeks.
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, service and leadership. The award has been given
annually since 1991. The 2013 NCAA Woman of the Year will be
announced on October 20 in Indianapolis, Ind.
Elena Crosley
Elena Crosley (St. Louis, Mo.), a 2013 graduate of Bowdoin, has
been a steady presence on the Polar Bear field hockey team’s
defensive unit, while excelling in the classroom and in the
community. Graduating with a degree in mathematics and a minor in
biology, Crosley has been recognized by Bowdoin’s mathematics
department numerous times. A two-time NESCAC All-Academic
selection, Crosley was also honored twice on the NFHCA All-Academic
Team. Crosley was recognized as a Gates Millenium Scholar and
Nation Merit Hispanic Scholar each year from 2009 through 2013, and
is a Fullbright Canada STEM 2013 award recipient. Beginning in the
spring of 2012, Crosley was chosen to work on a NSF funded research
modeling project on the gulf of Maine fisheries. During summer of
the same year, she was chosen to participate in a research
experience for undergraduates funded by the NSF at the National
Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS)
working on modeling disease transmission patterns.
On the field, Crosley was a four-year letter-winner and two-year
starter for the Polar Bears. She was a member of Bowdoin’s
NCAA Division III Field Hockey National Championship winning team
in 2010 and helped the Polar Bears to NCAA semifinal and
quarterfinal appearances in 2011 and 2012, respectively. Crosley
also helped the Polar Bears to back-to-back NESCAC championship
titles in 2010 and 2011. Following the conclusion of her senior
season, Crosley was awarded the team’s unsung hero award and
earned a spot on the NESCAC All-Sportsmanship Team.
On campus, she was a Safe Space trained support provider, worked
as a calculus tutor, and was also a member of the Outing Club. She
assisted with numerous campus initiatives including Girls and Women
in Sports Day and Aspirations in Maine High School Visit Day.
Additionally, Crosley assisted with Habitat for Humanity, Special
Olympics swim meets and blood drives.
Melissa Haskell
Melissa Haskell (Medfield, Mass.), a 2013 graduate of Bowdoin and
a former four-year letter winner on the Polar Bears’
volleyball team, has received numerous academic honors and
distinctions throughout her days at Bowdoin, while finding time to
volunteer on campus. Graduating with a degree in physics, Haskell
was honored as a Sarah and James Bowdoin Scholar three times, named
to CoSIDA’s Capital One Division III Academic All-District
team in 2012, and recognized three times as Academic
All-NESCAC.
Haskell has twice completed the Harvard-MIT Health and Science
Technology Summer Institute for Biomedical Optics at Massachusetts
General Hospital. Her work in physics has included the distinction
as the first author presenter at SPIE Photonics West Conference in
2013, while completing an honors research project in physics and
receiving the Noel C. Little Prize in experimental physics. Haskell
received a Maine Space Grant Consortium and Research for Women in
the Physical Sciences fund. She has also received the James Mills
Pierce Fellowship for talented prospective Ph.D. students in the
natural sciences and engineering at Harvard University for graduate
work ending in 2016.
Haskell's performances during the NCAA Tournament earned her
Regional All-American and All-American Honorable Mention status in
2012. As an outside hitter, Haskell ranked among some of
Bowdoin’s best volleyball players in program history. She
finished her career ranked third in career kills (1,039), fourth in
career digs (1,235), fifth in career service aces (154) and
compiled the fifth most kills in a single season (321).
A senior captain, Haskell found time to volunteer as a mentor for
Big Brothers and Big Sisters. Additionally, Haskell has been
involved with the Relay for Life Planning Committee and was the
Subcommittee Chair for this year's event. Haskell worked as a
physics lab instructor and volunteered with Bowdoin's Girl’s
and Women in Sports Day, along with volunteering for the Coastal
Humane Society and participating in Bowdoin’s LGBTQ Out Ally
training.