St. Mary's Senior Field Hockey All-American Emily Smithson Named 2009 CAC Female Scholar-Athlete Of The Year
St. Mary's College (Md.) senior field hockey All-American Emily Smithson (Richmond, Va./James River) was selected by the Capital Athletic Conference athletic directors and sports information directors as the 2009 CAC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Smithson is the third St. Mary's student-athlete to win the CAC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year since the inception of the award in 1992. Erica Pearson, who excelled in volleyball and basketball, captured the honor in 1999 while soccer and lacrosse standout Kathy Holmes was the honoree in 2002.
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore with a 3.20 cumulative grade point average, demonstrate athletic success and be a major contributor to her program.
Smithson is a psychology major with a minor in educational studies. She graduated with a 3.894 grade point average, including a perfect 4.00 in her major. She plans to attend graduate school at James Madison University in the fall.
She was a four-year starter and 2008 team captain for the St. Mary's field hockey team. She led the Seahawks to the CAC championship game each of the past two seasons.
In addition to earning All-CAC recognition three times during her career, Smithson was picked by the conference coaches as the 2008 CAC Co-Player of the Year. She also earned third-team All-America recognition and played in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) North/South Senior All-Star game in 2008.
On the field, she led the Seahawks to a 44-24 record the past four years, including a 17-6 mark in conference play. She finished her career with 15 goals, 12 assists and 42 points and ranks tied for second at SMC in career assists, eighth in points and 10th in goals.
Among her many extracurricular activities and honors, she served as the vice president of the CAC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, worked as a student assistant for the SMC Sports Information staff and was awarded a post-graduate scholarship by the Maryland Association of College Directors of Athletics (MACDA).