Risucci and Larkins Nominated for 2013 NCAA Woman of the Year
ROCHESTER, NY – Nazareth College graduate swimmer Carissa Risucci and Alfred University track and field sprinter Jordyn Larkins have been nominated by the Empire 8 Athletic Conference for the prestigious NCAA Woman of the Year award. This award honors a senior female student-athlete who has distinguished herself throughout her collegiate career in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership.
Conferences may recognize two nominees if at least one is an ethnic minority or an international student. Risucci and Larkins join an elite group of student-athletes from across NCAA Division I, II and III nominated for the award.
Risucci amassed a 3.93 grade point average and graduated a semester early (Dec. 2012) Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Communication and Rhetoric. She is a four-time NCAA Academic All-American, seven-time Empire 8 President’s List honoree and a three-time member of the UNYSCSA All-Academic Team.
Risucci is a nine-time NCAA All-American and holds four school records; two individual and two relay records. She qualified for the Division III National Meet four times and swam the best race of her career in the 200-yard breaststroke in 2013 resulting in a second-place finish en route to being named the E8 Swimmer of the Year for 2012-13.
The breaststroke specialist is a six-time Empire 8 champion and was named the 2010 Rookie of the Meet for both the Upper New York State (UNYSCSA) and E8 Championship after winning titles in both the 100- and 200-yard breaststrokes. In 2013 she was named the Female Swimmer of the Meet at the UNYSCSA/E8 Championships as she led the Golden Flyers to a fourth-place team finish.
“Swimming in a Division III program has allowed me to experience the rigors of being a collegiate athlete while being able to simultaneously, fully commit myself to my academics and student leadership positions,” said Risucci. “My vision of success has always included challenging myself to this balance, and doing so at the collegiate level has proved to be an invaluable learning experience and growing process for me.”
Risucci has committed approximately 600 hours to projects and organizations both on the Nazareth campus and within the city of Rochester. She has served as SAAC Vice-President for three years, class VP for two years and class President for a year. Risucci has acted as a freshman orientation leader, taken part in the Nazareth College day of service, organized Carly’s Crossing Open Water Swim and hosted a Master’s swim meet.
“Life is most fulfilling when you find a way to involve yourself in a multitude of different experiences that not only serve you but others as well,” stated Risucci.
A two-year team captain, Larkins has held several school records during her career. She is former school record holder in the outdoor 200-meter dash and 100-meter dash, and has earned First Team Empire 8 all-conference recognition in those respective events. She is also former holder of the school’s indoor 60-meter dash and 200-meter dash records, and is part of relay teams that hold school marks in the outdoor 4X100 and indoor 4X200.
“I have learned how to be a confident leader, have patience, and a heightened sense of maturity through my role as captain on the track team,” said Larkins. “I strived to be a role model both on the track and in the classroom, giving my teammates advice on ways to help their running, but also discussing classes with them and making sure that they are on top of their studies.”
Larkins has been named to the Dean’s List each of her four years at Alfred and has been inducted into both the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society and Phi Gamma Iota (language) Honor Society. She graduated with a 3.66 in Communication Studies and Spanish and last fall was named to the Empire 8 Conference Presidents’ List. Larkins was the recipient of Faculty Award for Academic Excellence in Modern Languages, the Marlin Miller Outstanding Senior Award and the Ideal Saxon Award.
She took part in numerous on- and off-campus organizations, including being a graduate of the Alfred University Women’s Leadership Academy; was a member of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Advising Committee; and served on the Higher Education Opportunities Program (HEOP) Student Council, helping initiate community building programs among students enrolled through HEOP. Larkins also volunteered as the Operations Assistant for the Children’s Youth and Learning Initiative and served as a camp counselor for Community Place of Rochester.
Risucci and Larkins will now be forwarded to the national NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee. The committee will choose the top ten nominees in each division (I, II and III). From among those 30 honorees, the selection committee will determine the top three in each division. From those nine, the 2013 NCAA Woman of the Year will be chosen.
Risucci and Larkins were two of eight outstanding nominees considered by the Empire 8 Woman of the Year Committee. The other candidates were:
Kelsey Kimble, field hockey, Hartwick College
Jennifer Bowman, soccer, Houghton College
Rachael Palladino, soccer, Ithaca College
Sarah Fordyce, softball, St. John Fisher College
Spencer Waybright, lacrosse, Stevens Institute of Technology
Meghan Fiore, basketball, Utica College
For more information on the NCAA Woman of the Year Award, click
HERE