INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Recently graduated
Lauren Bondi (Burnaby, BC, Can./Notre Dame Secondary) of the Smith College basketball team was on hand at the 2019 NCAA Woman of the Year Awards Dinner, held in Indianapolis, Ind. on Sunday night, as she was one of the Top 30 selected from a pool of 154 conference honorees.
Angela Mercurio — a former Nebraska triple jumper who double majored in biochemistry and women's and gender studies — has been named the 2019 NCAA Woman of the Year.
The Woman of the Year Award, created in 1991, recognizes graduating female student-athletes who have distinguished themselves in athletics, academics, leadership and community service. Mercurio is the second Nebraska student-athlete to receive the award in its 29-year history, joining former volleyball player Billie Winsett-Fletcher, who received the award in 1996. Based on her combined accomplishments in the classroom and on the hardwood, the Burnaby, British Columbia native was named the 2018-2019 New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Women's Basketball Athlete of the Year, in addition to earning a spot on the prestigious 2018-19 CoSIDA Academic All-American First Team.
As a basketball student-athlete, Bondi is a two-time NEWMAC First Team All-Conference selection, averaging a career-best 18.6 points, 3.7 assists, and 2.6 assists while shooting 42.4 percent from 3-point range in 2018-19. The point guard was also named an All-America Honorable Mention by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) while being a two-time All-Region Selection. Bondi and the Pioneers reached the postseason all four years, claiming the NEWMAC regular season title in 2018 and advancing to the second round of the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament in 2019.
Off the court, Bondi was an Associate Member of the Sigma Xi Research Society while completing volunteer opportunities with Project Coach Community Engagement Program, Smith College S.T.E.M. Peer Mentor program and Project Coach Academic Tutor. The student-athlete was a member of the Smith College Student Ambassador as an Executive Board member while also being a representative on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
"Lauren is the epitome of the student-athlete," said Director of Athletics and Recreation
Kristin Hughes. "Her work ethic, drive and intensity separate her from her peers. She makes everyone around her better and carries herself with a level of class and character that is uncommon these days. I know I speak for an entire campus when I say that Smith College could not be more proud of Lauren."
Bondi graduated from Smith College in May with a degree in neuroscience as well as a minor in exercise and sport studies.
About Smith Athletics: Smith College is a NCAA Division III member of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference that sponsors 11 intercollegiate sports. For more information log on to smithpioneers.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
