BOSTON — A pair of recent Hartford graduates have been nominated for the 2021 America East Man and Woman of the Year Awards, the organization announced Thursday. 
 
Elizabeth Lodge from the Hawks' women's track and field is one of 10 America East female student-athletes nominated for Woman of the Year, while former men's soccer player Nyrik Antoine 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 2021 spring season or have received his or her undergraduate degree prior to the conclusion of the 2021 summer term. Student-athletes must also hold a minimum grade-point average of 2.4 on a 4.0 scale.
 
A native of Manchester, Conn., Lodge is coming off an illustrious career that concluded with a record-breaking performance at the America East Outdoor Championships, taking home the gold medal in both the heptathlon and high jump. Breaking school record in both events, she also shattered the program record in the long jump. Earning Most Outstanding Field Performer of the Championships, her mark of 1.76m in the high jump was ranked the 28th-best in the East Region, and the 61st-best mark in the nation.
 
Lodge, who recently graduated with a degree in marketing, collected a plethora of academic awards during her career as well. An eight-time member of the Dean's List, she was recently named an America East Presidential Scholar-Athlete for completing her undergraduate career with a cumulative GPA above 3.75. 
 
Vice President of Hartford's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), Lodge was heavily present in her community, volunteering with Junior Achievement at her local high school. She also participated and donated to Food Share for food insecurity.
 
Antoine, a native of Baldwin, N.Y., enjoyed a stellar four-year career as a member of the Hartford men's soccer team. Appearing in 34 career games for the Hawks, he compiled two career goals and one assist for a total of five points. A three-time member of the Dean's List who graduated with a degree in criminal justice, Antoine was named to the America East Honor Roll in 2019.
 
In the community, the Hartford SAAC Co-Vice President and America East SAAC representative worked with LEVO International to help combat food insecurity in low-income Connecticut neighborhoods distributing Bokits, which grow different microgreens. Antoine also served as an intern for Representative Raghib Allie-Brennan this past semester in the 2nd District of Connecticut, where he helped with constituent responses and aided older residents schedule COVID-19 vaccines.
 
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 Wednesday, June 16, with the winners eventually being announced on Tuesday, June 22. 
 
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 2021 Woman of the Year.