Westfield, MA --- Senior Alyssa Jasper (Rockland, MA) has been selected as this year's recipient of the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year and she was also chosen as the conferences nomination for the NCAA Woman of the Year award in a vote by the leagues eight athletic directors last week.

"I am honored to be a recipient of both awards," said Jasper. "It is great to be rewarded not only for my efforts on the court and track, but also for my work in the classroom."

The MASCAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year has been bestowed in every year since 1980 to a male and female student-athlete who has excelled academically and athletically while maintaining at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average though their last year of athletic eligibility.

The NCAA Woman of the Year Award recognizes graduating student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership. The honor has been given annually since 1991.

The NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee selects the Top 30 – 10 from Division I, II and III before three finalists are picked from each Division. All 30 honorees are recognized, and the Woman of the Year is announced, at an official ceremony on Sunday, October 18, 2015 at the Westin Indianapolis.

Both prestigious accolades cap off a sensational career for Jasper, a standout student-athlete on both the women's volleyball team and the women's track and field squad.

On the hardwood, Jasper is a four-time All-MASCAC outside hitter who helped pace the Lancers to the league tournament in every year with conference finals appearances in 2011 and 2014. This past fall, Jasper was instrumental in propelling the Blue and Gold to a 24-10 record and the ECAC Division III Tournament semifinals.

Jasper Pictured Last Month receiving Worcester State's Senior

Female Margaret "Peg" Award With Head Women's Volleyball Coach

Bernie Chase and Women's Track Coach Andrea Ouellette

In addition to setting the career record for kills (1,292), Jasper also led New England in kills (502) during her senior year en-route to a MASCAC Player of the Year plaque, an American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-New England Honorable Mention certificate and a spot in the New England Women's Volleyball Association (NEWVA) All-Star Senior Classic.

Jasper's exploits on the track were even more impressive as she qualified for the NCAA Division III Track & Field Championships seven times including the javelin on four occasions, the heptathlon twice and the pentathlon during the indoor season of her senior year. She placed eighth in her junior outdoor campaign with All-American recognition, finishing the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Championship with 4,714 points in a field of 22 entrants.

In addition to winning the ECAC Division III Indoor Championship pentathlon title this past March, Jasper has been the heptathlon champion at the Division III New England Outdoor Championships, setting meet records in each of the last two years. In her junior and sophomore year, Jasper won the javelin at the Division III New England Championships and she was the All-Division New England runner-up in the javelin during the spring of 2014.

Due in large part to Jasper, the women's track and field team has placed among the top 10 institutions at the Division III New England Outdoor Championships in each of the last four seasons. The Lancers have also secured three outdoor titles, the 2011-12 MASCAC Indoor crown and the 2013 New England Alliance Championship.

In the classroom, Jasper sports a 3.66 grade point average through the end of the spring 2015 semester. She walked across the stage in May with her degree in nursing and Jasper has plans to pursue a career as an emergency response nurse or critical care nurse in an intensive care unit.

Jasper is a member of three honors societies including Sigma Theta Tu for Nursing, Omicron Delta Kappa for Leadership, and Chi Alpha Sigma, for student-athletes. She has also been lauded as a four-time College Sports Information Directors (Co-SIDA) All-Academic District I recipient and with United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTCCCCA) All-Academic laurels on three occasions. 

Active in the local campus community, Jasper is an member of the Student-Athlete Mentor Program, the student nurses association and she participated in the women's volleyball team fall project to bring  physical education classes after school on Fridays during the months of October and November to the Chandler Magnet Elementary School.

"I would not have been able to succeed in each of the last four years, if it wasn't for the support of my coaches, teammates and family," said Jasper.

Jasper is the seventh Worcester State student-athlete to receive the MASCAC Scholar-Athlete award, with the last recipient being Dane Jobst during the 2013-14 academic year. Other honorees have been Heidi Roy (2001-02), Eric Swedberg (2001-02), Tim Leonard (2000-01), Julie (Pramas) Kazarian (1997-98) and Elke Aun (1996-97).

She is the first Worcester State nomination to move forward to the national ballot for the NCAA Woman of the Year since Ann Clark (2007-08).

Bridgewater State senior standout Andy Sukeforth (Middleboro, MA) was named this year's MASCAC Men's Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

MASCAC Female Scholar-Athlete Award Release