TOWSON, MD- Recent Juniata graduate and field hockey player Tori Buser (Allentown, PA/Parkland) has been tabbed by the Landmark Conference as the representative for NCAA Woman of the Year.
"Being chosen as the Landmark Conference's nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award is the greatest honor that I have ever been given in my athletic career," said Buser. "To be selected out of the many deserving senior women from the Landmark Conference is a very humbling experience. It is extremely rewarding knowing that my hard work and dedication to being both a successful student and athlete has not gone unnoticed. I am truly grateful to have been nominated for this award and I would like to thank my family, coaches, teammates, and friends for pushing me to be the best student, athlete, and individual I can be."
Buser graduated with a degree in Psychology in May and received Summa Cum Laude honors. She was given the John E. Blood Award at Juniata's Alfie Awards, which is bestowed upon the senior athlete who has earned at least four varsity letters and who has earned the highest grade point average with significant athletic achievement. Other achievements included being a conference presenter for the American Psychological Association in Boston and Washington, D.C. where she discussed undergraduate research and studies from her experience as the head of a student leadership team. She also served as a laboratory assistant in the Cognitive and School Psychology departments at Juniata.
As a team captain for the Eagles' field hockey team last fall, Buser helped guide her squad to the 2014 Landmark Field Hockey Championship, the program's fifth conference crown, all while balancing a demanding academic curriculum, and spending her time in various community service projects on and off campus, such as volunteering in the Huntingdon Soup Kitchen, reading to area elementary students, and volunteering with the Special Olympics. She also completed two volunteer internships for animals and psychiatric care patients and was the principal violinist for the Violin II Section for the Juniata College Orchestra.
Other involvement included being a counselor for the Gress Animal Assisted Therapy Ranch Camp and Juniata College's Field Hockey Camp, on-campus tutor for psychology, stats, and calculus I, and a member of the Student Academic Development Committee, which reviews petitions for academic policies. She also led group therapy sessions based around relaxation and art for stress management at the Haven House as the Outpatient Psychiatric Day Program Intern.
This year, 147 conferences submitted nominees, the most ever in the history of the Woman of the Year program. Division III had 51 nominees, while Division I had 57 and Division II nominated 39. The top 30 honorees, 10 from each NCAA division, will be announced in early September. The NCAA Woman of the Year will be announced on October 18 in Indianapolis, Ind.
