May 10, 2011

Cambridge, Mass. - Senior Debbie Aller (Stony Brook, N.Y.), of the SBU women's soccer team, is one of nine nominees for the America East Women of the Year award, the conference office announced on Tuesday. The America East Women of the year award is given to the senior female student-athlete that best exemplifies a commitment to service, leadership, athletics and academics during their collegiate careers.

A two-time America East All-Academic selection and team co-captain as a senior, Aller appeared in 57 games in her Stony Brook career and started all 18 Seawolves contests in 2010 as she was named to the America East All-tournament team. Aller helped the Seawolves to the America East semifinals this season and was a 2010 NSCAA Scholar All-East Region honorable mention selection.

She has been just as impressive off the field as she has a 3.58 GPA and will graduate this May with a degree in Environmental Sciences and Anthropology. Two summers ago, while in Tanzania to conduct research on water quality and availability, Aller distributed sports equipment that she collected from other student-athletes to children in orphanages and rural village.

Earlier this year she traveled to Kenya and provided a youth soccer team with t-shirts to use as uniforms in addition to raising money to help local schools. In addition, as a member of the SBU Global Water Brigades Club, she helped raise money to travel to Honduras to supply a rural village with water.

To be nominated, student-athletes must have completed intercollegiate eligibility in her primary sport by the end of the 2011 spring season or received her undergraduate degree prior to the conclusion of the summer 2011 term and have a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 2.500 (4.000 scale).

The nominees will be narrowed down to three finalists on Tuesday, May 31 via a release on the conference web site with the America East Woman of the Year being announced at the conference's Annual Meeting in Portsmouth, N.H. on Tuesday, June 7.

The America East Woman of the Year will then be forwarded to the NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee. The selection committee will select the top 10 winners in each NCAA division (I, II and III).

From among those 30 honorees, the selection committee will determine the top three in each division. Finally, the members of the CWA will vote from among the top nine to determine the 2010 NCAA Woman of the Year.