The University of Maine at Farmington's McKenna Brodeur, a seven-time All-North Atlantic Conference honoree in women's soccer and women's basketball, has been selected as the 2022 NAC Woman of the Year.
Brodeur was the top pick among seven finalists for the NAC's preeminent annual award for a woman student-athlete, in voting conducted among the conference's athletics directors and senior woman. Brodeur now becomes the NAC's nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year award.
This marks the second straight year a UMaine-Farmington women's soccer player has received the accolade, following Fern Calkins' selection for the honor in 2021.
Brodeur earned All-NAC honors in women's soccer in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2021, and was tabbed the conference's Women's Soccer Player of the Year this past fall. She helped guide the Beavers to the 2018 NAC title and accompanying NCAA tournament berth, and led UMaine-Farmington back to the NAC title game in 2019.
On the pitch, Brodeur finished her career with 66 goals and 34 assists for 166 points. She set a new UMaine-Farmington record for career assists, tied the program mark for career points, and was four goals shy of the UMF career goals record. "We're thrilled that McKenna has been honored as the NAC Woman of the Year! She exemplifies the determination, perseverance, and commitment required to be a successful student-athlete and leader. We're so proud of McKenna and know she'll continue to be a positive force in her community and the world," said Molly Wilkie, head women's soccer coach.
Brodeur nearly equaled that success on the basketball court where she earned All-NAC honors in 2019, 2020, and 2022, and helped lead UMaine-Farmington to the conference championship game in 2019. She tallied 1,067 points over her five seasons in maroon and white, and amassed 573 rebounds, 119 steals, 83 blocks, and 164 assists. Head women's basketball coach Nate Carson says, "McKenna has been so great for our program, putting her team above herself and working tirelessly to make herself and those around her better."
Brodeur was selected for both the 2021 New England Women's Intercollegiate Soccer Associate (NEWISA) Senior Bowl game (the game was not actually played due to COVID) as well as the 2022 New England Women's Basketball Association (NEWBA) Senior All-Star Game played on March 27 in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Farmington's Director of Athletics Jamie Beaudoin says of Brodeur: "McKenna's accomplishments on the soccer field and on the basketball court have been fueled by her competitiveness and her drive to be successful. UMF has been fortunate to have her as a student and an ambassador. We are so proud of her and look forward to following her career as she pursues her passion of becoming a pediatric speech pathologist."
The NAC Woman of the Year award is modeled after the NCAA Woman of the Year program which honors graduating student-athletes who distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletic excellence, service, and leadership. The NAC also selects a Man of the Year using the same model, nominees for which will be released on June 24. These are the two preeminent awards presented annually by the conference.
Away from athletics, Brodeur has been active in the community in both Farmington and her hometown of Oakland, Maine. In Farmington, she has participated in Mallett Elementary School's "Lunch Buddy" program. She has been involved with multiple projects of the Shine On Cass Foundation, a local organization with a mission to inspire and empower youth to engage in charitable activities and named in memory of former Messalonskee High School player Cassidy Charette, including the organization's Kick Around The Clock soccer game (July 2019) and a Youth Soccer Clinic (October 2020). Brodeur volunteered with a bone marrow registry drive sponsored by the UMaine-Farmington women's soccer team and completed an internship with the Maine Bureau of Rehabilitation Services in Summer 2021.
Brodeur was named UMaine-Farmington's Female Senior Athlete of the Year for 2022.
Brodeur graduated from the University of Maine at Farmington in May 2022 with a degree in psychology. She is currently attending graduate school for communications sciences and disorders at The University of Maine in Orono, with a goal of becoming a pediatric speech pathologist.
Member schools nominate student-athletes from their own institution, then NAC Athletic Directors and Senior Woman Administrators vote to select the Woman of the Year. Scoring for the academic achievement section is based on the undergraduate cumulative grade-point average of the nominee. Scoring for athletic excellence is based on the nominee's honors and accomplishments including awards and championships, and scoring for service and leadership is based on their involvement in campus and community activities and organizations over the course of their collegiate career. Administrators also consider a short personal statement written by each nominee.
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