General | 12/4/2020 11:00:00 AM
St. John Fisher College alumna Dr. Kathryn Nesbitt continued to make history as the former women's volleyball player was named the 2020 Major League Soccer Assistant Referee of the Year late last month to become the first woman to earn year-end recognition in any of the five North American men's professional sports leagues.
During a breakout 2020 season, Nesbitt made her first bit of officiating history as an assistant referee for the MLS is Back Tournament Final in Orlando. With that assignment, she became the
first woman ever to be named to a league final officiating crew. Additionally, Nesbitt has earned 30 total assignments in all positions this year, doubling her total in each of the last two seasons, respectively.
She made her MLS debut in 2015, earning her way onto the FIFA panel of assistant referees in 2016. Nesbitt was selected for the FIFA Women's World Cup in France last year and is among the emerging crop of 10 women officials breaking through the MLS ranks with a collective 74 assignments this season.
The Rochester native, who is a professor at Towson University in Maryland, graduated from Fisher in 2010 and went on to earn her Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh. On the world stage, she was one of three officials to oversee matches as part of the Women's World Cup in France last year. Nesbitt also worked as a reserve assistant referee for the 2018 MLS Cup Final.
Nesbitt played two years for Fisher where she appeared in 42 matches overall and accumulated 120 total kills along with 42 digs.