Smithson Voted 2009 CAC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year
York, Pa. - Senior midfielder Emily Smithson (Richmond, Va./James River) was selected by the Capital Athletic Conference athletic directors and sports information directors as the 2009 CAC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year as announced Tuesday afternoon by conference commissioner, Tom Byrnes.
Smithson is just the third female St. Mary's College of
Maryland student-athlete to receive this honor since the award's
inception in 1992. Erica Pearson '99, who excelled in
volleyball and basketball for the Seahawks, was the first Seahawk
recipient in 1999, while soccer and lacrosse standout, Kathy Holmes
'02, captured the honor in 2002.
Smithson graduated this past May with a bachelor of arts in psychology, while minoring in educational studies. She achieved a 3.894 cumulative GPA, including a perfect 4.0 GPA within her major. This coming fall, Smithson will be attending the School of Psychology at James Madison University.
A four-year starter and 2008 team captain, Smithson became only the second player in the 15-year history of the field hockey program to earn National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) All-America laurels as she was named to the third team in 2008. Emily Richards '08 was a third team selection in 2007.
She was just the third Seahawk in program history as well to be selected to play in the NFHCA Division III North/South Senior All-Star Game. The first Seahawk to be selected was Melissa Moore in 1998 and then last season, Amy Skrickus earned a spot on the south team as an alternate.
During her stellar career, she led the Seahawks to the CAC championship game each of the past two seasons, including the program's first-ever appearance in 2007. A two-time all-region and three-time all-conference selection, Smithson earned 2008 CAC Co-Player of the Year honors after leading St. Mary's in scoring with 10 goals and three assists for 23 points.
She led the Seahawks to a four-year record of 44-24, including a 17-6 mark in CAC action. Smithson finished her career with 15 goals, 12 assists and 42 points, ranking tied for second at SMC in career assists, eighth in points and 10th in goals.
A three-time NFHCA All-Academic and CAC All-Academic Team member, she was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa (academic), Psi Chi (psychology), and Chi Alpha Sigma (student-athlete) Honor Societies as well as being named to the Dean's List in all but one semester.
Among her many extracurricular activities and honors, Smithson served as the vice president of the CAC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee as well as president of the St. Mary's Student-Athlete Advisory Board. She was also an assistant to the Dean of the Core Curriculum and First-Year Experience this past spring, while working as a student assistant for the SMC Sports Information staff all four years. Smithson was one of three athletes from a Maryland institution to be awarded a postgraduate scholarship from the Maryland Association of College Directors of Athletics (MACDA).
