LOUDONVILLE, NY – Grace Dobrzynski made history by becoming just the ninth Siena female student athlete – and first in three years – to be selected as the Metro Atlantic Athletic Association (MAAC) nominee for the prestigious NCAA Woman of the Year award. 

The West Greenwich, RI native was among hundreds of total nominees from across all levels of NCAA athletics including a pool of nine nominees from MAAC schools. Rooted in Title IX, the NCAA Woman of the Year Award was established in 1991 to recognize graduating female student-athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves in academics, athletics, service, and leadership throughout their collegiate careers.

Dobrzynski put a bow on her collegiate career at Siena as the graduating senior became the program's all-time leader in career points with 256, devoted over 270 hours of community service to be a nominee for the Allstate NACDA Good Work Team and finished her academic portfolio as a member of the 4.0 GPA club. 

Athletically, she was once again one of the top players in the conference. The two-time reigning Siena Female Student Athlete of the Year secured First Team All-MAAC honors twice (2024, 2025), MAAC All-Championship Team honors this past season and MAAC All-Rookie Team honors in 2022. 

Academically, she was an IWLCA Academic Honor Roll member, a four-time MAAC Academic Honor Roll member, a three-time member of the MAAC All-Academic Team, a College Sports Communicators (CSC) Second Team Academic All-America Women's At-Large team selection, a CSC At-Large Academic All-District Team choice in three straight years (2023, 2024, 2025), a 2025 Capital District Sports Women of the Year, and the Leo and Jeannine Dufort Student-Athlete of the Month for February. Dobrzynski earned her degree in Biology and will continue her education with Albany Medical School with her plans to become a doctor. 

Each year, Siena puts forth the most qualified one or two nominees for the NCAA Woman of the Year, however only nine student athletes have been chosen as the conference representative. 
Dobrzynski is the first from the Siena women's lacrosse program to have been bestowed with this honor. 

Siena MAAC NCAA Woman of the Year Nominees
2025 - Grace Dobrzynski (women's lacrosse)
2022 - Georgia Vargas (water polo)
2019 - Sarah Formen (women's cross country/track)
2018 - Kollyns Scarbrough (women's basketball)
2014 - Taylor Akana (volleyball)
2013 - Lesli Akeo (volleyball)
2011 - Tabitha Tice (women's soccer)
2007 - Laura Woolgar (women's golf)
2006 - Liz Hubbard (volleyball)
 
The other conference nominee for the 2025 NCAA Woman of the Year was Marist softball student athlete Miah McDonald.  Joining Dobrzynski and McDonald as MAAC member school nominees were Laryssa Imbuzeiro (Niagara University), Ahniysha Jackson (Siena), Lucia Mansilla Medina (Saint Peter's University), Blakely Montgomery (Fairfield University), Kiley Myers (Marist), Hailey Palmer (Rider University), and Prakruthi Sastrry (Merrimack College).
 
Representing the Siena Women's Basketball team, Jackson was the other nominee. The Watervliet, NY native became the program record holder for career 3-pointers made as well as the 30^th member in program history to record 1,000 career points. The All-MAAC Second Team selection averaged a career-high 15.7 ppg (fifth in the conference). Academically, Jackson was a MAAC All-Academic Team member and a CSC Academic All-District selection.

Per the NCAA, all conference-level nominees are advanced to the Woman of the Year selection committee. The selection committee will choose the top 10 honorees in each division. From among those 30 honorees, the selection committee will determine the three finalists in each division. Finally, the members of the Committee on Women's Athletics will vote from among the top nine finalists to determine the 2025 NCAA Woman of the Year. The top 30 honorees will be honored, and the 2025 NCAA Woman of the Year winner will be announced this fall.

The NCAA Woman of the Year program honors the academic achievements, athletics excellence, community service, and leadership of graduating female college athletes from all three divisions. To be eligible, a nominee must have competed and earned a varsity letter in an NCAA-sponsored sport and must have earned her undergraduate degree by Summer 2025.