Boston College Athletics
Shannon Smith Named NCAA Woman Of The Year
August 30, 2001 | Women's Track & Field
Aug. 30, 2001
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Boston College alumna Shannon Smith ('00) was named the NCAA Woman of the Year for the state of Massachusetts on Tuesday. The award was handed out to one female-athlete in each state and the District of Columbia.
The award honors outstanding female student-athletes who have excelled in academics, athletics and community leadership and have completed their collegiate athletics eligibility. More than 350 student-athletes were nominated for this year's award by their colleges and universities.
A national winner will be selected by the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics from among 10 finalists, which will be announced in September. The national winner will be announced at the 2001 NCAA Woman of the Year dinner, represented by Rawlings, October 21 at he Indiana Roof Ballroom in Indianapolis.
Smith's accomplishments were deserving of the honor. From an academic standpoint, she finished with a 3.30 grade-point average while majoring in geology and geophysics. Smith, a native of Fairport, N.Y., was awarded a NCAA and BIG EAST Post Graduate Scholarship in 2001, which she has used to in pursuing her masters at Boston College's Carroll Graduate School of Management.
From an athletic standpoint, she was an eight-time recipient of the Lou Tessier Memorial Captain's Award for both cross country and track and field. She was also named Most Valuable Player on five different occasions over her career. No accomplishment could have been greater for Smith than winning a national championship in the 3,000-meter run at the 2001 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. By winning the event, she became the first female national champion at Boston College.
Smith was a member of the student-athlete advisory committee from 1997-00. She served as a volunteer tutor and mentor at the Commonwealth Tenants Association in 1997 and a HEAR youth reading program volunteer from 1997-00.
