BOSTON – The America East has revealed its finalists for the 2024-25 Man and Woman of the Year awards. The three men and three women represent five different schools and four different sports with four of the student-athletes winning at least one conference championship.
The Man and Woman of the Year will be unveiled on Tuesday, June 3 at the conference’s year-end awards banquet. The America East began honoring a Woman of the Year in 2006 and introduced the Man of the Year award in 2014. All-Time America East Man & Woman of the Year Award Listing.
Woman of the Year Finalists
Abby Kraemer, Maine – Soccer
- Two-time All-American and two-time first-team all-conference selection who helped Maine win back-to-back women’s soccer conference championships.
- 2023 #AEWSOC Striker of the Year and finished her career with 76 points on 32 goals and 12 assists.
- Graduated in December of 2024 with a 3.90 GPA as a biochemistry major.
- Served as a volunteer coach for the Mighty Mite soccer clinic, Old Town School District lunch time activity leader and a Virus-Host Cell Interaction Discovery Lab TA.
Anna Olson, Vermont – Basketball
- Five-time all-conference selection and two-time first-team honoree who helped Vermont win a pair of women’s basketball championships and reach three consecutive championship games.
- Helped UVM reached the Fab 4 of the WNIT in 2023-24 and concluded her career with 1,686 points 853 rebounds, 132 blocks and 96 steals in 140 games.
- Graduated with a 3.89 GPA as a biology major and graduated with a master’s degree with public health, earning a 4.0 GPA.
- Volunteered for three years at the King Street Youth Center, worked as a referee for Special Olympics and served as a Data analyst for UVM Center of Rural Studies.
Alison Smisdom, UAlbany – Field Hockey
- Three-time NFHCA First-Team All-American and three-time first-team All-Region selection who helped UAlbany win one championship and reach three conference title games.
- A four-time first-team all-conference honoree who ranks third in league history in both points (174) and goals (74), while also recording 26 assists in 79 games.
- Graduated with a 3.57 GPA as an accounting and business administration double major.
- Three-year member of SAAC, served as a student assistant in the athletic training room and volunteered at numerous field hockey clinics.
Man of the Year Finalists
Jayo Adegboyo, UMBC – Track & Field
- Four-year letterwinner earned back-to-back gold medals at the America East Outdoor Track & Field Championships as a member of UMBC’s 4×400 relay. Also earned a pair of bronze medals in the event as well.
- Named 2025 Arthur Ashe Jr. Male Sports Scholar of the Year and named a UMBC Meyerhoff Scholar.
- Graduated with a 3.95 GPA as a biochemistry and molecular biology major.
- Served as a Howard County Food Bank, Client Helper for six years and University of Maryland Medical Center, TRU volunteer since 2018.
Zach Barrett, Vermont – Soccer
- 2024 #AEMSOC Defender of the Year led Vermont to the 2024 NCAA National Championship while earning All-Championship Team recognition.
- Four-time all-conference selection and five-year member of men’s soccer who helped win a pair of America East Championships while playing 90 career games on defense.
- Graduated with a 3.4 GPA as a business administration major and earned a 3.7 GPA as while earning a master’s of accounting.
- Four-year member of SAAC, Organized and ran annual soccer clinic with the Boys & Girls club of Burlington and volunteered at King Street Youth Center
Joseph Mucci, NJIT – Track & Field
- Four-year member of the cross country and track & field programs at NJIT.
- Earned a sixth place finish in the 1000m at the 2025 #AETF Indoor Championship and helped the Highlanders place fourth in the 4×800 in the 2023 #AETF Outdoor Championship.
- Graduated with a 4.0 GPA with degrees in both computer science and applied mathematics.
- Served as TA for Honors First Year Seminar for three years, taught a class on computer programming to a local Newark middle school and assisted with the Highlander House.
ABOUT AMERICA EAST
Founded in 1979, the America East Conference is an elite NCAA Division I athletic conference that fosters an environment for student-athletes to become champions. Comprised of academically renowned, like-minded member institutions located in the Northeast region of the United States, America East is committed to broad-based excellence and progressive in its approach to supporting its more than 3,500 student-athletes across 18 sponsored sports. For more information, visit www.AmericaEast.com and follow the America East Conference and its social media channels, @AmericaEast.
– America East Conference – Where Champions Rise –
