UTICA, NY -- Senior Hannah Mackey (Locke, NY/Moravia Central) of the Utica College field hockey team has been named the Empire 8 Athletic Conference Woman of the Year in a release by the conference office on Wednesday. This award honors a senior female student-athlete who has distinguished herself throughout her collegiate career in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership.

Mackey amassed a 3.75 grade point average and graduated with a degree in Nursing. She is an eight-time Utica College Dean's List honoree, has made the Empire 8 President's list four times, is a four-time National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) National All-Academic Team member and she was recently inducted into the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing.

Over her illustrious four-year career, Mackey was the Empire 8 Rookie of the Year in 2011 and the Empire 8 Player of the Year in 2014. She is a four-time Empire 8 All-Conference First Team selection, as well as a three-time Empire 8 All-Tournament Team selection. She was the Empire 8 Tournament MVP in 2013 and holds the Empire 8 single season records for goals and points in a season.

She is a two-time NFHCA All-Region and All-American selection as well as the 2014 NFHCA North Atlantic Player of the Year. Mackey is the College's all-time leader in career points (199) and goals (84), and she is second all-time in assists (31).  Her 3.81 points per game in a single season is tied for 14th all-time in the NCAA Division III record book.

The Utica field hockey program posted an overall mark of 61-22 while Mackey led the Pioneers to three Empire 8 titles and three trips to the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Mackey committed multiple hours to projects and organizations around the Utica area in the last four years. She volunteered at the Utica Refugee Center painting classrooms and offices, served as a race volunteer for the Utica Road Runners and taught CPR at the American Heart Run and Walk Expo.

"Being involved in service activities has allowed me to give back to the community that has supported Utica College," said Mackey. "It taught me to stay humble and realize that not everyone has had the opportunities that I have. I will never take my education for granted, and I believe that becoming a nurse is a small way to give compassion and knowledge back to others."

Mackey, along with Ithaca senior Sharon Li will be nominated for the prestigious NCAA Woman of the Year award.  Conferences may nominate two individuals if at least one is an ethnic minority or an international student. Mackey and Li join an elite group of student-athletes from across NCAA Division I, II and III nominated for the award.

Mackey and Li will now be forwarded to the national NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee. The committee will choose the top ten nominees in each division (I, II and III). From among those 30 honorees, the selection committee will determine the top three in each division. From those nine, the 2015 NCAA Woman of the Year will be chosen.