INDIANAPOLIS, IN – Every year, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) honors graduating female student-athletes who have completed their eligibility while excelling in academics, community service and athletics as well as being a shining example of a leader. This year, Alfred University has nominated softball's Dana Torchia (Pompton Plains, NJ/Pequannock Township) for the NCAA Woman of the Year.
 
Since the creation of the Woman of the Year award, the pool of eligible student-athletes is the largest in its 26-year history. There are 517 student-athletes spanning all three divisions of the NCAA including 231 from Division I, 117 from Division II and 169 from the Saxons' Division III level.
 
Torchia, who graduated from AU in May, was a starting infielder for the Saxons for all four years of her career. She was a co-captain for the Purple and Gold during her sophomore (2014), junior (2015) and senior (2016) seasons. She was a three-time Empire 8 Conference All-Star, earning Second Team honors in 2015, when she helped lead the Saxons to their best season in in school history. That year, AU won Empire 8 regular season and conference tournament titles before winning NCAA Regional Super Regional championships to advance to the College World Series in Salem, VA.
 
Torchia earned Honorable Mention from the Empire 8 in her sophomore and senior years.
 
At the conclusion of her senior season, Torchia and fellow teammate Nicole Maher (Newark, DE/Caravel Academy) were both celebrated as co-recipients of the Alfred University Ideal Saxon Award for academic and athletic excellence. A marketing major with a minor in accounting, Torchia graduated with a 3.64 grade point average and was awarded the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Merit Medal, which is also recognizes academic and athletic excellence. Torchia was a two-year honoree to the Empire 8 President's List for academic achievement during her freshman and sophomore years.
 
For two years, Torchia was a member of the Chi Alpha Sigma, Delta Mu Delta, Beta Gamma Sigma, Alpha Iota Delta, Omicron Delta Kappa and Mu Kappa Tau academic societies. Chi Alpha Sigma is an honors society for student-athletes, Delta Mu Delta being for business administration students and Beta Gamma Sigma being for academic achievement in the study of business. Alpha Iota Delta is the International Honor Society in the Decision Sciences and Information Systems. Omicron Delta Kappa is the national leadership honor society and Mu Kappa Tau is for marking students.
 
Torchia was selected as an All-Star to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Northeast Regional Third Team during her junior year. In the same year, she was named to the CoSIDA/Capital One Academic All-District III Team. She is a two-time NFCA All-American Scholar Athlete (2012-13 and 2013-14).
 
Torchia was a two-year representative of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee during her junior and senior years. She was a two-year team mentor and organized and ran the raffle auction to raise money for the nonprofit Wellness G.I.F.T.S.