Hope Shue of the Middlebury women's lacrosse team was selected as the Division III Commissioners Association (D3CA) Chi Alpha Sigma Region I Student-Athlete of the Year. The honor, in its fourth year, highlights two graduating seniors from each of the 10 regions who have demonstrated excellence in athletics, academics, leadership and service throughout their collegiate careers. Shue is the third Panther to earn the accolade, joining Erin Nicholas '22, who played field hockey and women's lacrosse, and Elise Morris '23 a former women's soccer student-athlete.
Shue received numerous national and regional accolades. The attacker was named the IWLCA National Player and Attacker of the Year for the second-consecutive year and earned NESCAC Offensive Player of the Year and All-NESCAC First Team honors. As a senior, Shue tallied IWLCA All-American and IWLCA All-Region status.
The senior led the NESCAC and broke Middlebury's single-season records in goals (86) and points (119). Over her four-year career, Shue became the program's career leader with 391 points and 301 goals. Her 231 draw controls and 85 assists stand fourth and fifth, respectively. Shue extended her Division III record with 79 goals, 16 more than the Division I record, during Middlebury's NCAA Tournament run which saw the Panthers win their fourth straight NCAA title. Shue joined NFL quarterback and North Dakota State alum Carson Wentz as the only NCAA student-athlete across all sports to win at least four national championships and three Elite 90 awards.
Middlebury posted an 89-2 mark and won 53-straight matchups away from Peter Kohn Field during Shue's four-year career.
In the classroom, Shue earned the prestigious NCAA Elite 90 Award three times. She joined former Maryland midfielder Zoe Stukenberg as the only women's lacrosse player across all divisions to earn the honor on a trio of occasions. Shue made history by becoming the first women's lacrosse player across the three NCAA Divisions, NAIA and junior colleges to receive the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-American of the Year.
A neuroscience major, Shue graduated summa cum laude in May and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa.
Off the field, Shue was involved in multiple organizations, including "Everybody Wins! VT", MiddCAM, MiddCORE and served as a two-year leader of Middlebury's Radical Health program. She also participated in Middlebury's Special Olympics programs, worked as an ADA Special Assistant, a MiddCORE Intern and a daycare teacher.
All 20 regional winners advance to the national ballot, with the D3CA Women's Sport Student-Athlete of the Year and the D3CA Men's Sport Student-Athlete of the Year announced in September.
About the DIIICA: The Division III Commissioners Association became a stand-alone organization in January 1992, after previously serving as a combined group with the Division II Commissioners Association. The association is comprised of 43 NCAA Division III conferences, representing over 440 public and private institutions. The purpose of the DIIICA is to empower commissioners to effectively lead their conferences and positively impact Division III intercollegiate athletics by identifying challenges, developing solutions, and taking collective action that reflects the conference perspective.
