MIDDLEBURY — A committee of NESCAC administrators has nominated recent Middlebury College graduate, outstanding runner and student, and Washington state resident Alison Maxwell for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award.
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 2015 NCAA Woman of the Year will be announced on Oct. 18 in Indianapolis.
Maxwell proved to be well rounded in academics and athletics and became a valuable member of the Middlebury community.
A summa cum laude graduate with high honors in biochemistry, she was a dean’s list selection and College Scholar every semester along with being a nine-time NESCAC All-Academic honoree, and was twice named a United States Track & Field/Cross Country Coaches Associations Co-Scholar Athlete of the Year for Division III.
Maxwell was a peer writing tutor and mentor for science students, and led a team of faculty and staff in developing “Write Like a Scientist,” a website to assist Middlebury faculty in teaching students how to write scientifically.
She received the American Chemical Society Undergraduate Analytical Chemistry Award and Middlebury’s Charles B. Allen Prize, which is awarded for excellence in science and contribution to the Middlebury spirit. Maxwell also received Middlebury’s Hazeltine-Klevenow Trophy for excellence in academics and athletics.
Active on the Middlebury campus and in surrounding communities, Maxwell chaired the Middlebury Student Government Association Honor Code Committee for two years. She tutored for four years at Middlebury Union High School, and mentored local children in need of additional extracurricular support through the Community Friends program.
Throughout her four-year collegiate career, she cooked and served supper for community members in need. She has also been a panelist for Women in Science in an effort to increase the participation of women in science professions.
Athletically, Maxwell served as a senior captain during the cross-country and indoor and outdoor track and field seasons. As a senior, she won the 2014 NESCAC women’s cross country championship en route to garnering All-America accolades.
Maxwell went on to win the mile at the 2015 NCAA D-III indoor track and field championships to help Middlebury place fourth. She was also a two-time All-American as a member of the distance medley relay team, and the school record holder in the indoor 3,000-meter run. During her outdoor track and field career, Maxwell was a two-time NCAA qualifier in the 1,500-meter run, and wrapped up her career as an All-American at 5,000 meters this spring.