Marissa Robinson, a special education and psychology alumna of Kean University, achieved being one of the top 30 honorees for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Woman of the Year.
The competition for being the NCAA Woman of the Year is very tight, and the chance of winning the title is pure luck. To be nominated or even considered as an honoree is a milestone that should be recognized in one's life.
Those who are involved with the NCAA Woman of the Year program have shown great academic achievements, athletics excellence, community service and leadership. Honorees are graduated female college athletes from all three divisions. All nominees must have completed and earned a varsity letter in an NCAA-sponsored sport.
Robinson is a representative on the NCAA Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) SAAC Co-President, Kean SAAC Co-President and Kean Leadership Council. She was elected as a four-year member of the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) National Academic Squad and Scholar of Distinction Squad. She was inducted into Chi Alpha Sigma and Psi Chi honor societies.
Most recently, she was selected as a College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-American selection. Robinson was also tabbed as Kean Woman of the Year by New Jersey Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (NJAIAW), and recentlty the Kean Female D'Angola Award Winner.
In fall 2015, Robinson was Third-Team NHFCA All-American, First Team NFHCA South Atlantic All-Region, NJAC Midfielder of the Year, First-Team NJAC, First Team Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) and was selected to play in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division III Senior Game.
Since graduation, Robinson has moved from Delaware to Indiana. When she was a student, her living situation changed as well. To get from Delaware to Kean University takes about two hours, so Robinson spent her first three undergraduate years living on campus, while she spent her last year living with some teammates off campus. Currently, she is a postgraduate intern at the NCAA in Leadership Development. She helps plan programs for the membership, specifically student-athletes. This gives her a 12-month opportunity to work at the national office in Indiana.
Robinson started playing field hockey, softball and basketball in sixth grade. After high school, she decided to focus on playing just field hockey as center midfield.
"I loved it! Field hockey was the sport that I had the most passion for," she says. "I knew that I would continue to work hard and get better because of that passion. Although I didn't like the preseason soreness, the different tricks, fakes and shots that you can incorporate into your game to make you a better player really made me love field hockey."
Robinson's best memory with field hockey was when she was playing overseas in Holland with her teammates.
"I may have never gotten that opportunity if it wasn't for Kean [University]," tells Robinson. "Kean [University] placed me in a position to excel. I was provided with a plethora of opportunities to grow personally and professionally. Being a student-athlete has taught me to have a great work ethic, how to work with others successfully and how to be a leader. During graduation, I felt proud. I graduated on time with high honors, a great group of friends and a bright future ahead of me. As much as I enjoyed my time at Kean, I was ready to take the next step in my life."
When being asked why she chose Kean University, a place far from home, she says, "I loved the diversity at Kean. My high school was very diverse and I wanted a college that was the same. I also wanted to play somewhere I could make an immediate impact. I was lucky enough to do that at Kean. My family just wanted me to go to college. They did not care where I went as long as I got a degree, but they were very supportive of my decisions to pursue sports in college."
As of June 2016, the NCAA Woman of the Year nominees for 2016 were named. NCAA member schools have nominated 517 student-athletes for this award, and Robinson was one of them.
"I was excited, however, I was not sure how far I would make it. I have read the bios of previous nominees and winners and knew that the women nominated were great people."
This year's pool of school honorees marks the largest in the 26-year history of the award. Of the nominees for the national award, 231 competed in Division I, 117 completed in Division II, and 169 competed in Division III athletics. The nominees also represent 21 different women's sports, and 127 of the nominees competed in more than one sport while they were in college.
After all the names of the nominees have been gathered, the conferences assess their member school nominees and select up to two conference nominees. The complete list of nominees can be found at the NCAA official website. The list of 517 student-athletes are then whittled down to 142 conference nominees. The committee selected 30 women from that pool -- ten from each of the three NCAA divisions -- representing 13 sports and a host of undergraduate majors, including biology, accounting, criminal justice, education, engineering and computer science.
"This year's top 30 honorees have achieved remarkable things during their time in college," said Sarah Hebberd, Chair of the Woman of the Year Selection Committee and Director of Compliance at the University of Georgia. "They are model student-athletes for generations of young women to come, and we are immeasurably proud of their accomplishments."
"I was actually really proud of myself when I heard I was one of the honorees for the NCAA Woman of Year. During my undergrad, I worked really hard to be a well-rounded person. I wanted to be seen as more than just an athlete. I took pride in my grades and enjoyed volunteering to help others. It was a nice feeling to know someone saw all your hard work and acknowledge it," Robinson says.
Unfortunately, Robinson did not make it as one of the NCAA Woman of the Year finalists.
"I was still proud of making the top 30. The women in the top nine have done far greater things than I have and they deserve it. My family was really happy that I made it to the top 30 -- they didn't care if I won or not. They say I'm #1 in their hearts."
The list for the top 30 honorees and the list of the top nine finalists can be found on the NCAA official website.
As an older sister, she motivates and cheers on her younger siblings, who play sports as well.
"My siblings and I all played sports growing up. I just try to motivate my younger siblings to work hard in their sports and to follow their passion in it. I want them to be the best that they can be in their sports because I know the benefits of being an athlete. I didn't find my time with field hockey to be pressuring. I actually felt more structured when playing field hockey. I knew that I had to stick to a certain schedule in order to fit in playing, working, going to class and studying. Some days I felt like there weren't enough hours in the day, however, I found a way to get everything done. That's why I never felt like giving up my interests with playing field hockey," Robinson says.
As of now, Robinson is not sure of her plans of returning to N.J. after her internship. She plans on getting her masters after her internship, but has no idea where she will accomplish that goal.
"I wouldn't mind being closer to my loved ones however!" Robinson states.
The number one winner for the NCAA Woman of the Year will be announced at an awards dinner at Westin Indianapolis, as well as including the 30 honorees and the nine finalists.
