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 Tal Shpaizer Named Finalist For America East Woman Of The Year
May 22, 2007 BOSTON, Mass. - University of Maine women's swimming and diving student-athlete Tal Shpaizer has been named one of three finalists for the America East Woman of the Year Award, as announced by the conference office on Tuesday by America East Commissioner Patrick Nero. Shpaizer is joined by Binghamton's Megan Hoag (volleyball) and Boston University's Marisa Ryan (cross country/track and field) as finalists. The accolade honors the conference's senior female student-athlete that best exemplifies a commitment to service, leadership, athletics and academics during her collegiate career. Shpaizer, a senior from Shoham, Israel, was named Maine MVP for the past two seasons. This season at the America East Championships she was third in the 200 back, eleventh in the 100 butterfly, and tenth in the 200 IM. She also holds school records in the 100 butterfly, 200 IM and a member of two relay teams that hold records. A Business Administration and Financial Economics major with a 3.95 grade point average, she has been named to the America East Commissioners Honor Roll three times and is also a three-time Maine Scholar-Athlete. Shpaizer was named the 2007 Recipient of the M Club Dean Smith Award. She also was named the University of Maine Business School's top student in finance this year. She has also participated in the Israeli Championships in 1992, the Junior European Championships in 1998 and 1999 and the Junior Olympic Games in 1998. Academically, she is also a member of the Omnicron Delta Epsilon International Honor Society (2007), Beta Gamma Sigma International Honor Society (2006), America East All-Academic Team (2007), Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society (2006). Hoag, a 2006 first-team all-conference selection, has posted a 3.93 grade-point average (GPA) as a psychology major and is a 2007 Summa Cum Laude graduate. She won the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence and the ECAC Merit Award, while being named a CoSIDA Academic All-American Nominee, an ESPN Academic All-District I First Team selection and an All-Academic Team pick in 2006-07. She has been featured on the Dean's List, America East's Commissioner's Honor Roll and All-University Honors for four-straight years. On the court, Hoag was named Most Valuable Player for the Bearcats in 2006 and led Binghamton to its first America East title in 2005. She was named to the America East All-Championship team in 2004 and 2006, while being a first-team all-conference pick in 2006 as well. Hoag was also featured on the University of Pennsylvania All Tournament Team in 2006 and was named America East and Binghamton University Player of the Week on several occasions. Ryan, a medical sciences major with a 3.78 GPA, is one of the most prolific runners in Boston University cross country and track and field history. She is a three-time America East cross country team champion (2004-06), garnering individual champion accolades and an NCAA qualifying time in 2006, along with America East indoor track and field team championships in 2006 and 2007. Ryan earned first-team all-conference honors multiple times for cross country (2004-06), indoor track and field (2005-06) and outdoor track and field (2004 & 2006). Currently involved in nine community service and campus activities, Ryan has been an active student-athlete at Boston University. Ryan was the first student-athlete to be accepted into Boston University's Seven-Year Liberal Arts/Medical Education Program and will earn a B.A. and M.D. in seven years. She was the Boston University Woman of the Year last year, the America East Women's Scholar-Athlete of the Year (2005-06), America East Women's Cross-Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year (2005-06 and 2006-07), America East Indoor Track Scholar-Athlete of the Year (2006) and ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District First Team member (2005-06). The three finalists were selected from a pool of the nine America East institutional nominations, which were announced on Tuesday (May 8). To be nominated, student-athletes must have earned a varsity letter in a NCAA-sponsored sport and competed during the 2006-07 academic year, completed intercollegiate eligibility in her primary sport by the end of the 2007 spring season or received her undergraduate degree prior to the conclusion of the spring 2007 term and have a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 2.500 (4.000 scale). In conjunction with the changes in the nomination process for the NCAA Woman of the Year award, the America East Woman of the Year award was established for the 2005-06 athletic season. Effective last year, the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics (CWA) will receive conference-designated nominees in lieu of the previous institution- and state-based nomination format. The America East Woman of the Year will be announced on Tuesday (June 12) at the America East Annual Meeting in Stony Brook, N.Y. The three league finalists will be in attendance at the Annual Meeting where they will be recognized for their achievements. The America East Woman of the Year will then be forwarded to the NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee. The selection committee will select the top 10 winners in each NCAA division (I, II and III). From among those 30 honorees, the selection committee will determine the top three in each division. Finally, the members of the CWA will vote from among the top nine to determine the 2007 NCAA Woman of the Year.
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