Women's Track & Field 5/25/2017 12:36:00 PM Mike Miranto, Associate A.D. For Communications

Donahue Named ECC Scholar-Athlete Of The Year For Outdoor Track

AMHERST, N.Y. - Dual-sport standout Mackenzie Donahue (East Aurora, N.Y./East Aurora) of the Daemen College cross country and track and field teams has been named the East Coast Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year for women's outdoor track and field. The official announcement of the ECC's Scholar-Athletes of the Year in all sports sponsored by the league was made at the annual ECC Awards Dinner held this past Monday, May 22 at the John J. Cox Student Center on the campus of the University of Bridgeport.

To be considered for the award, nominated student-athletes from the league's 10 member and seven associate member schools must achieve a minimum grade-point average of 3.30 (on a 4.00 scale), must have been a starter or key reserve for their respective team and they must have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at their institution.

A Health Promotion major, Donahue walked the stage at Daemen's commencement ceremony last weekend after earning five Dean's List honors during her academic career on Main Street.

Donahue's athletic prowess has been well documented throughout her career. The 2017 outdoor season was one of her finest, opening with a first-place finish in the 5,000-meter run at the Geneseo Early Spring Invitational on April 2, posting a time of 17:39.56. She would go on to win the 10,000-meter run at the Brockport Invitational on April 14, surpassing the NCAA Division II National Championships provisional qualifying time by crossing the finish line in a school-record time of 35:35.11, which at the time ranked first in the country this season.

Donahue continued her stellar season by winning the 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter runs at the ECC Championship meet on April 22. She posted a 5,000-meter time of 17:15.80 and set a new ECC Championship meet record with her time of 38:31.11 at the farther distance.

For her efforts, Donahue was named an All-Region honoree in both the 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter distances by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) earlier this month. It marked the second-straight year that Donahue was a two-event All-Region honoree.

The long distance ace concludes her career this evening at the NCAA Division II National Championship meet in Bradenton, Fla. There, she'll compete one final time in the 10,000-meter run, entering as the No. 15 seed in the race which features 21 competitors. It will mark Donahue's second national championship appearance this year, and the third of her career. Earlier this year, she competed in the NCAA Division II National Championship meet for indoor track and field, and she also qualified and competed in the 2015 NCAA Division II National Championship meet for cross country. She is also a three-time Daemen College Female Athlete of the Year honoree.

"It's great to see Mackenzie get rewarded for all of the hard work that she has put in on the track and in the classroom. She is a model student-athlete and has been an absolute pleasure to work with," said Daemen head coach Paul Lagno.

You can see a full preview of tonight's 10,000-meter race by clicking HERE. For continuing coverage of the Daemen College men's and women's track and field teams, follow @DaemenAthletics and @DaemenTRACK on Twitter.

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Players Mentioned

Mackenzie Donahue: 5' 2"; Senior

Players Mentioned

Mackenzie Donahue
: 5' 2"; Senior