Boyar Is Daemen Nominee For NCAA Woman of the Year

7/14/2020 2:05:00 PM

By: By Mike Miranto, Sr. Associate A.D. for External Operations & Communications

AMHERST, N.Y. - After completing a remarkable four-year career with the Daemen College women's soccer program, Jamie Boyar (Williamsville, N.Y.) is the college's nominee for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Woman of the Year Award. Now in its 30th year, the NCAA Woman of the Year Award recognizes the academic and athletic achievements, community service participation and overall leadership of graduating female student-athletes from across the NCAA's three divisions.

"To have a student-athlete recognized as a nominee for the NCAA woman of the year is a testament to our efforts to build everyday champions," said Traci Murphy, director of athletics. "Jame Boyar epitomizes what a student-athlete can achieve here at Daemen College through effort, integrity and commitment. Jamie has tackled academics, athletics, and community service with such leadership, fearlessness and excitement - the Wildcat Way. She is an amazing woman and is most deserving of this nomination and honor."

Boyar is one of 605 nominees nationwide - a record for the NCAA Woman of the Year program - and one of 126 from the NCAA Division II ranks. The pool of candidates will be narrowed in early August when each conference announces their nominees. The NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee, comprised of representatives from the NCAA membership, will choose the top 30 honorees - 10 from each division. The field will be further narrowed with the announcement of nine finalists (three from each division). The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics will choose the 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year with an announcement to come this fall.

Boyar has racked up numerous awards and accolades during her time on Main Street. A four-time team MVP and three-time All-East Coast Conference selection, Boyar set program records for goals in a season (20) and career (55) while leading the Wildcats to a 32-29-7 record and the program's first NCAA tournament berth. She is also a two-time All-East Region honoree by both the United Soccer Coaches and Division II Conference Commissioners Association, and is one of three players in program history to surpass 100 points, finishing second all-time with 121. Boyar earned Female Athlete of the Year honors from Daemen as both a junior and senior, and has twice been recognized for academic achievement with selections to the United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-Region Team.

Off the pitch, Boyar has been an active member in a number of campus organizations and initiatives. She served as a representative of the women's soccer team on Daemen's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and was later elected to the SAAC executive board, serving two years as vice president. In that role, she helped plan and lead SAAC-sponsored events and community service initiatives, including the Baker Victory Adopt an Angel holiday gift drive and various fundraising efforts to benefit the Make-a-Wish Foundation and Team Impact. She was integral in SAAC's offering of trick-or-treating for area youths at a women's volleyball match and the execution of the Daemen One Love Valentine's Day escalation session.

In addition, Boyar has been involved with volunteer efforts for Daemen's Center for Allied and Unified Sports and Exercice (CAUSE), assisting individuals with disabilities in their exposure to recreational and competitive athletic experiences. She's been a mentor for younger females as part of the Classroom Champions program, served as the health and wellness liaison on the Campus Activity Team and been an active participant on the Wildcat Wellness Committee which conducts educational programming on campus in relation to healthy lifestyle choices and sexual assault prevention.

In the classroom, Boyar has maintained a GPA above 3.3, earning Dean's List and East Coast Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll status multiple times. A member of the Sigma Beta Delta National Honors Society, Boyar is set to graduate next month with a degree in business administration (specialization in marketing) as well as a certificate in human resource management.

"I'm extremely happy to see Jamie nominated for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award," said Dan Dolan, who has mentored Boyar as the head women's soccer coach. "Her accomplishments on the soccer field over the past four years are unmatched, but what she has done to give back to the community, her academic achievements and her leadership in both SAAC and as captain of our team is even more inspiring. She had an amazing four years at Daemen and I couldn't be more proud for Jamie to finish her career as a nominee for this prestigious honor."

Boyar, who recently completed a development internship at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, becomes Daemen's third NCAA Woman of the Year Award nominee. She joins cross country/track and field athlete Mackenzie Donahue (East Aurora, N.Y.) and volleyball player Katie McKrell (Webster, N.Y.) who were nominated in 2017 and 2018, respectively.

Daemen College features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 17 intercollegiate teams. For the latest information on Daemen Athletics, follow the Wildcats via social media on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, or sign up to receive customizable news alerts, e-mail newsletters and weekly schedule alerts.

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