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2025 NAC Woman of the Year Finalist Rotator

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MacDonald Named North Atlantic Conference Woman of the Year Finalist

WATERVILLE, Maine – University of Maine at Farmington graduate Anna MacDonald was named a finalist for the 2025 North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Woman of the Year, as announced by the conference office earlier on Tuesday afternoon.

The NAC Woman of the Year award is modeled after the NCAA Woman of the Year Award, which is presented annually to a graduating student-athlete, honoring their academic achievements, athletic excellence, community service, leadership, and taking into account a written personal statement. The personal statement is intended to illustrate how the student-athlete's community service and experiences as a scholar, an athlete, and a leader on their campus and in their community have influenced their life and shaped them into the person they are today.

Member institutions of the NAC nominate student-athletes from their own institutions. The Conference's Athletic Directors and Senior Women Administrators vote to select the NAC Woman of the Year. The scoring for academic excellence is based on the student-athlete's grade point average. The athletic success portion of the award is scored based on the nominee's honors and accomplishments, both individually and team-based. The leadership and service responsibilities section is scored based on the nominee's leadership activities, detailing roles they have held throughout their collegiate careers. The community service portion is scored based upon the student-athlete's involvement in volunteer and community service events. Lastly, each institution scores each of the nominated student-athletes' personal statements to help determine a final score for each nominee.

The NAC Woman of the Year award is the highest honor that the conference office bestows each year.

MacDonald has been a valuable member of the University of Maine at Farmington women's cross country and track and field teams for the past four years, serving as a captain for both teams since the fall of 2023. MacDonald has been named a First Team All-Conference honoree in three of her four seasons (2021, 2022, and 2024), while being named to the NAC Second Team All-Conference during the 2023 season. This past cross country season, MacDonald helped to spearhead a team effort that placed the Beavers second overall at the NAC Championship meet, the best team finish during her career.

On the track, MacDonald totaled 42 overall points, including 32 individual points, to help the Beavers capture the 2025 North Atlantic Conference Championship, their first in program history. She was crowned the individual NAC Champion in the 800 meters, was a member of the NAC Champion-winning 4x400 meter relay team, was the NAC Runner-Up in the 3,000 meter steeplechase, and the NAC Runner-Up in the 5,000 meters. Additionally, she qualified and competed in the New England Championship for the 3,000 meter steeplechase, going on to place 20th overall in the event.

Academically, MacDonald completed her Bachelor's Degree in Special Education during the Fall 2024 semester while also working towards her Master's in Education, which she completed during the Spring of 2025. MacDonald has been named to the NAC Academic All-Conference team in both cross country and track and field each semester throughout her collegiate years. She has also been named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District team each of the past two years (the 2025 CSC Academic All-District teams for cross country and track and field have not been announced yet).
MacDonald has been honored for her work in the classroom twice this past year, evidenced by her being named the NAC Scholar Athlete of the Year for both cross country and track and field.

MacDonald's community service and campus activities include being a member of the student-athlete advisory committee since 2022, a member of UMF's chapter of Morgan's Message since 2023, as well as a member of the intramural sports club, and being a part of Student Senate during her freshman year. Additionally, MacDonald has volunteered at the Special Olympics, Relay for Life, and as an official or meet helper at various high school and middle school cross country and track and field events hosted at Mt. Blue.

MacDonald will be starting her professional career in the fall with the RSU 9 school district and believes that her opportunities as a scholar, athlete, and leader will directly translate into her teaching career. She states, "I am looking forward to bringing these characteristics into my teaching career…where I hope to positively influence my students' experiences as I have been influenced."

The winner of the NAC Woman of the Year is expected to be announced by the conference office on Monday, June 30th.

Click here to read the full list of finalists released by the NAC office.
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Players Mentioned

Anna MacDonald

Anna MacDonald

Senior
Distance

Players Mentioned

Anna MacDonald

Anna MacDonald

Senior
Distance

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