INDIANAPOLIS – Ally Irish '21, a recent graduate of Saint Anselm College and a four-year member of the Hawks women's lacrosse team, has been selected by the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) as a nominee for its Woman of the Year award.

The program, in its 31st year, honors the academic achievements, athletics excellence, community service and leadership of outstanding female college student-athletes. Over 220,000 women are competing in college sports, and the NCAA received 535 nominations for the prestigious award in 2021.

Irish has excelled in the classroom and on the field, helping her team to the NE10 Divisional Finals against Bentley in the 2021 postseason. Irish has also earned spots on the institution's Dean's List for the past three years, while also earning the Division II Athletics Directors Association (ADA) Academic Achievement Award as a sophomore.

Irish has made a key impact on the Saint Anselm Athletics community, co-founding the Head Game Project, an initiative intending to support Saint Anselm student-athletes and help them to understand the importance of their psychological well-being. It also establishes a culture of openness and support for student-athletes struggling with mental health issues.

"COVID-19 has greatly increased the need for more conversations about mental health," said Irish, who cites that college students have endured so much change, but are still expected to perform at the highest level on the field and in the classroom. "By offering students the tools and resources to deal with stress and anxiety [through the Head Game Project], they are better prepared to deal with this change."

The work of Irish has not gone unnoticed as she was recently featured on the NCAA Social Series, hosted by Andy Katz, to talk about different topics around the NCAA and all of its member schools. Ultimately, the Head Game Project exists to have the discussions surrounding mental health as it relates to on-field and off-field performance. She is also a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success.

"Our goal with launching the Head Game Project was to form a support group where other student athletes could lean on each other, learn from each other and support each other," said Irish, who formed the group alongside CJ Hart, a member of the Hawks men's lacrosse program.

"By creating a community where mental health can be prioritized and discussed, students are no longer burdened with the fear of being stigmatized when they may need some extra help."

A six-time NE10 Commissioner's Honor Roll selection, she played in six games for the Hawks in 2021, totaling one ground ball and one caused turnover. She was also the College's nominee for the Northeast-10 Conference Woman of the Year award in late May.

"Ally has been an incredible teammate and member of the Saint Anselm community in her time on the Hilltop," said Head Coach Meghan Smith, a 2012 graduate of Saint Anselm. "Ally and the Head Game Project have helped run multiple events on campus and established a strong foundation for the group to help future athletes. Ally is constantly putting the needs of her teammates and other before herself."

In mid-June, Irish received one of the Charles J. Quinn Sportsmanship Awards for her dedication to the Hilltop. The Charles J. Quinn Sportsmanship Award honors a male and female student-athlete who best exemplifies and demonstrates the values of sportsmanship on and off the playing surface.

Next, the Northeast-10 Conference will select its nominees for the NCAA Woman of the Year. Each conference nominee will be notified by the NCAA, and all conference-round nominees will be announced on NCAA.org in August.

Conference nominations are forwarded to the NCAA Woman of the Year Selection Committee, which identifies the top 10 honorees in each of the three NCAA divisions. From those 30 honorees, the selection committee then determines the three finalists in each division for a total of nine finalists.

The Committee on Women's Athletics will select the 2021 NCAA Woman of the Year from the nine finalists. At an award ceremony Oct. 17 in Indianapolis, the Top 30 honorees will be celebrated, and the 2021 NCAA Woman of the Year will be named.