BOSTON — A pair of recent University of Hartford graduates have been nominated for the 2019 America East Man and Woman of the Year awards, the organization announced on Tuesday. 
 
Lindsey Abed, from women's basketball is one of 10 America East female student-athletes nominated for Woman of the Year, while former men's basketball player J.R. Lynch is one of 10 student-athletes in contention for the award on the men's side.
 
The awards recognize the conference's senior male and female student-athletes who have distinguished himself and herself throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletic excellence, service and leadership.
 
To be nominated, student-athletes must have completed intercollegiate eligibility in their primary sport by the end of the 2019 spring season or have received his or her undergraduate degree prior to the conclusion of the 2019 summer term. Student-athletes must also hold a minimum grade-point average of 2.4 on a 4.0 scale.
 
A native of Oakton, Va., Abed is coming off an illustrious playing career that saw her earn three America East All-Conference awards, including First Team and All-Defensive Team honors this past season. A 1,000-point scorer who ranked among the top-five in the America East in scoring, field goal percentage, three-point field goal percentage and steals, she broke the program's all-time record in three-point field goals with 236 on her career.
 
Abed, who recently graduated with a degree in psychology, collected a plethora of academic awards during her career as well. She became the first player in program history to receive multiple Division I-AAA ADA Scholar-Athlete honors, as she won the award in both 2018 and 2019. A two-time America East Women's Basketball Scholar-Athlete and America East All-Academic Team selection in 2018 and 2019, the guard was also a Google Cloud Academic All-District 1 First Team selection this past season.
 
Abed was also recognized as Hartford's Female Athlete of the Year, in addition to receiving the Hartford Medal of Honor, which is awarded to the female student-athlete that has risen to the top in representing the University of Hartford in academic excellence, athletics, leadership and service.
 
Lynch, a native of Hoboken, N.J., also enjoyed one of the most decorated careers in men's basketball history. A two-time America East All-Conference selection who capped his final season by earning First Team honors, he graduated as the only player in program history to record 1,000 career points, 350 assists and 150 steals. Finishing as the America East's leader in assist/turnover ratio (1.9) this past season, Lynch also ranked in the league's top-five in scoring, three-point field goal percentage, assists and steals.
 
Lynch finished his career ranked seventh in program history in scoring, second in assists, second in steals, third in free-throw percentage, third in three-point field goal percentage and sixth in three-point field goals. Named Hartford's Male Athlete of the Year, Lynch, who earned his MBA this past weekend, was the Hawks' male recipient of the Hartford Medal of Honor.
 
The nominees for America East Man and Woman of the Year will be narrowed down to three finalists per gender. Those finalists will be announced on Thursday, June 6, as part of the America East's annual awards dinner.
 
The America East Woman of the Year will then be forwarded to the NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee, which will choose the top 10 winners in each NCAA division (I, II and III). From those 30 honorees, the selection committee will determine the top three in each division. Finally, the members of the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics (CWA) will vote among the nine to determine the 2019 Woman of the Year.