WATERVILLE, Maine - The University of Maine at Farmington's Abigail Minott (Bath, Maine) has been selected as the 2023 North Atlantic Conference Woman of the Year. The North Atlantic Conference (NAC) released the winner of the conference's Woman of the Year award earlier this morning, July 10th. Minott was one of eight finalists from the NAC's 12 member institutions.

The voting for the award is conducted by member institutions' Athletic Directors and Senior Woman Administrators. The honor for Minott marks the third consecutive and fourth in six years that a student-athlete from the University of Maine at Farmington has received the conference's Woman of the Year honor. "I am so thankful to be added to the list of incredible Beavers that have received this honor," Minott states. She joins Fern Calkins, McKenna Brodeur, and Lauren Pulito as Beavers to be named to have received the conference's most prestigious award. Calkins, a former women's soccer player, received the award in 2021. Brodeur, a standout soccer and basketball player for the Beavers, was selected for the honor in 2022. Pulito, a runner on the cross country and track and field teams, was awarded back in 2018.

The NAC Woman of the Year award is modeled after the NCAA Woman of the Year program that recognizes the accomplishments of graduating student-athletes who distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in each of the following categories; academic achievement, athletic excellence, service, and leadership.

Minott came to the University of Maine at Farmington in the Fall of 2020 as a transfer student. As a Beaver, she participated in three years on the Women's Track and Field team and one season on the Women's Cross Country team. She was named a captain of the Women's Track and Field team the past two seasons. Minott was a standout in track for the Beavers, where she served in a variety of roles and competed in several different events. This spring she was crowned a NAC Conference Champion in the triple jump and received First Team All-Conference honors in the process. With her jump of 10.70 meters at the NAC Championship, she set both a NAC Championship meet and UMF program record. She also picked up a personal best jump of 4.66 meters in the long jump, placing 3rd overall. At the NAC Championship meet, Minott led all Beavers with 22.75 points, helping to lead UMF to a 3rd place finish as a team. Minott also qualified for the New England Regional Championships in the triple jump a season ago.

Director of Athletics Jamie Beaudoin says of Minott: "Abby is a fantastic athlete, illustrated by her accomplishments in track and field, Conference Champion, New England qualifier, her name is in 17 different UMF top-10 performance leaderboards. But above all else, Abby is an amazing person. Whether it is in the classroom, on the track, or within the community, Abby's impact has been felt and her presence will be missed." Head Track and Field Coach Sean Cabaniss echoed similar sentiments about Minott. "Abby was a top notch individual and athlete in our program for the last three years. Her contributions to our program will be felt for many years beyond her time here, and I know she will have the same impact on the teams she will go onto coach", Cabaniss states.

Academically, Minott was a Business Administration major with a minor in Coaching, held a perfect 4.0 grade point average, and was named to the President's List four times while she attended the University of Maine at Farmington. For her efforts in the class, Minott received the 2023 North Atlantic Conference Scholar Athlete award in women's track and field. Additionally, at the University of Maine at Farmington Department of Athletics annual athletic banquet, Minott was also named the 2023 UMF Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Finally, she was named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District team this past spring. 

Outside of athletics and academics, Minott has served the community in numerous capacities. She has been a member of the University of Maine at Farmington Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for the past two years. She has also participated in the UMF track and field annual Relay for Life fundraiser for three years, including being the fundraisers co-coordinator during her senior year. She participated in the Gerry Wiles Holiday Food Basket program in 2021, where she helped to collect food and donations for food insecure families in Franklin County. Minott has also volunteered her time this past spring as an official at the Mt. Blue High School track and field meet. In the fall, she was a course marshal at the Mt. Blue cross country meet. Lastly, she has served as volunteer assistant coach for the Noble High School Track and Field team this past spring, working primarily with the hurdlers. 

Beginning this fall, Minott will begin pursuing a Master's Degree in Athletic Leadership at Springfield College where she accepted a full scholarship to become a graduate assistant coach for the track and field program. She also will be participating in a teaching fellowship as part of the program. Minott attributes a lot of her success to her experience at UMF, stating, "My time as a UMF athlete has been life changing. My sport, my coaches, professors, and athletic staff have guided and shaped me into a better athlete, teammate, and person. I could not think of a better way to end my career, and I am eager to take the support I have received and pay it forward to the next generation of athletes."