July 25, 2006

Center Valley, Pa. - The Patriot League has selected American's Keira Carlstrom and Army's Chelsea Haviland as it nominees for the NCAA Woman of the Year award. The winners of the national award will be announced on October 28 in Indianapolis, Ind.

Carlstrom and Haviland have exemplified a commitment to the four areas the NCAA Woman of the Year award focuses on, including service, leadership, athletics and academics. Carlstrom participated in the sports of cross country and track and field at American, while Haviland was a diver for the Army swimming and diving team. Both student-athletes were selected by a vote of the Patriot League's senior woman administrators to be the Patriot League's nominees for the national award.

American's Keria Carlstrom

Carlstrom reached out to her community as part of the Promise Speakers Bureau, speaking to elementary schools to discuss the importance of education and sports. She also tutored her peers at American in math and computer science. The former Eagle has served as both a volunteer track and basketball coach for elementary and middle schools and as a counselor at running camp.

Athletically, Carlstrom became the Patriot League's only three-time All-American in the sport of cross country and is also an All-American in track and field. She won 19 Patriot League Championship titles (12 individual and seven relay), and is a 23-time All-Patriot League selection (19 track-and-field and four cross country). The five-time Patriot League Championships Runner/Athlete of the Meet qualified for the NCAAs six times.

Carlstrom was just as impressive in the classroom, graduating from American with a 3.52 grade-point average and a degree in mathematics. The six-time Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year was named an ESPN The Magazine District II First-Team Academic All-American in 2006.

Army's Chelsea Haviland

Haviland's service and leadership were not only demonstrated in her duties at the U.S. Military as a Brigade S-2/Public Affairs Officer, but also in community service activities. Haviland also participated in the Swim Across the Hudson for MS event and served as a Special Olympics volunteer. The former Black Knight swimming and diving captain was a member of her school's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (S.A.A.C.), serving as its president during the 2004-05 academic year.

The holder of the 3-meter Patriot League Championship diving record, Haviland was named Patriot League Diver of the Meet all four years. During the 2006 season, she became just the fourth Patriot League student-athlete and first from Army to compete in the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championship. At the end of the 2005-06 academic year, Haviland was presented with the U.S. Military's highest athletic achievement award - the Army Athletic Association Award winner.

The leadership and management studies major graduated from Army with a 3.33 cumulative grade-point average. She was named an ESPN The Magazine At-Large District I Second-Team Academic All-American in 2006. The four-time dean's list honoree is an Omicron Delta Kappa member.

Other student-athletes nominated for the award include' Colgate's Erin Hanna, Holy Cross' Sony Kuhn and Navy's Kate Mortenson.

Hanna was a four-year letterwinner for the Raiders' softball program and was named First-Team All-Patriot League in 2004. The four-time Patriot League honor roll member graduated with a 3.94 grade-point average as a psychology and Spanish major.

Kuhn, Holy Cross' former field hockey goalkeeper, was twice named Second-Team All-Patriot League. The four-time NFHCA Academic-Team selection owned a cumulative GPA of 3.94 as a biology major.

Mortenson was a four-year member of Navy's varsity eight crew that won the Patriot League's inaugural women's rowing championship in 2005. The Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association National Scholar-Athlete was a mechanical engineering major and graduated with a 3.59 GPA.

The NCAA Woman of the Year award is in its 16th year and honors senior student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in service, leadership, athletics and academics.