Two Fairfield University student-athletes have been nominated for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award. Women's basketball standout Rachel Hakes '21, M'22 was tabbed as a representative of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and field hockey star Malen Iglesias '22 is on the ballot in the Northeast Conference.

"For the last four years, Rachel and Malen have exemplified what it means to be a Fairfield Stag," said Vice President for Athletics Paul Schlickmann. "Their commitment to excellence in competition, their outstanding achievements in the classroom, and their dedication to service on campus and in the community make them incredibly deserving of this recognition within their respective conferences, and deserving of consideration for the national Woman of the Year Award. I wish them the best of the luck in their graduate student opportunities this coming year, and I look forward to all of the great things that they accomplish as Fairfield University alumni."

The starting point guard for one of the best seasons in Fairfield Women's Basketball history, Rachel Hakes helped lead the Stags to their first MAAC Championship since 1998 and first NCAA postseason appearance since 2001. An All-MAAC Third Team honoree, she recorded career-highs in nearly every offensive category in her fourth and final campaign at Fairfield. Hakes led the MAAC and finished in the Top 15 in the nation with 5.8 assists per game and a 2.53 assist-turnover ratio. Her 187 assists tied for the second most in Fairfield single season history.

Hakes was named to the MAAC All-Tournament team after helping the Stags win three games in four days in Atlantic City, N.J., to claim the conference title. She poured in a career-high 26 points while going 4-for-8 from long range in the MAAC Quarterfinal win over Iona.

Off the court, she was named to the Athletics Director Association (ADA) Scholar-Athlete Team and the MAAC All-Academic Team. She completed her undergraduate courses in just three years, finishing with a perfect 4.0 grade point average and was the recipient of the Fairfield University Bellarmine Medal, awarded to the undergraduate with the best GPA in the class. She went on to complete her graduate degree in business during her fourth season with the Stags, also earning a 4.0 GPA. Hakes was named the Fairfield University Alumni Association Women's Scholar-Athlete of the Year in both 2021 and 2022.

Malen Iglesias had a hallmark season in the fall of 2021 to close out her tenure with Fairfield Field Hockey. She was named both the NEC Player of the Year and Fall Scholar-Athlete of the Year. She was also an NFHCA All-Mideast Region First Team pick after guiding the Stags through an unbeaten NEC regular season and tournament to claim the program's second NEC Championship in three years.

Iglesias scored the last of her team-leading 11 goals with just four seconds left in regulation of Fairfield's NCAA Championship First Round clash at #17 Delaware to send the contest into overtime. Iglesias, who scored twice against the Blue Hens on the national stage, also dished out a pair of assists in 2021 to finish with a team-best 24 points.

Academically, Iglesias is a member of the NFHCA National Academic Honor Squad and the NEC Academic Honor Roll. She graduated summa cum laude from Fairfield in May of 2022 with a 3.9 cumulative GPA as a management major in the Charles F. Dolan School of Business.

Conferences will select student-athletes from the institutional nominees as representatives on the national NCAA Woman of the Year ballot.