General | 8/29/2024 3:45:48 PM
Madi Morton, a member of the Elmira College women’s hockey team was named the 2023-24 Division III Commissioner's Association/Chi Alpha Sigma Region III Women's Student-Athlete of the Year. Each of the 10 regional winners will advance to the national ballot for consideration for 2023-24 DIIICA Men’s Sport Student-Athlete of the Year and Women’s Sport Student-Athlete of the Year.
Conferences were permitted to submit two nominations for each award if at least one of the nominations was an international student/ethnic minority. Graduating seniors were the only student-athletes eligible for this award. Selection criteria for the awards included considerations based on academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership and a personal statement submitted by each nominee.
Voting was conducted by the commissioners within each of the ten regions, with the top male and female honoree recognized as finalists for the Awards Committee to select the Division III Commissioner’s Association Men’s Sport and Women’s Sport Student-Athlete of the Year.
The two national winners will be announced in September.
Morton is the second student-athlete from Elmira chosen as a DIIICA regional winner, joining former teammate Eliza Beaudin, who earned the honor in 2022.
Morton, who was most recently named the 2023-24 Empire 8 Conference Co-Woman of the Year, recently completed a tremendous four-year career as a defenseman on the nationally-ranked women's ice hockey team, A native of Colorado Springs, CO, Morton graduated summa cum laude in 2024 with a cumulative grade-point average of 3.97 as a double major in psychology and human services.
A two-year captain, Morton helped lead Elmira to two New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) Tournament Championships in 2022 and 2024, a 2021 United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) Tournament Championship and three NCAA Division III Tournament appearances. The Soaring Eagles finished 82-19-2 in Morton’s four seasons, including a 58-3-1 mark in conference play. Morton helped lead Elmira to the 2024 NCAA Division III Women’s Hockey Championship game and earned American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) First Team All-American honors.
Morton played in 103 games for the Soaring Eagles in her four-year career and recorded 69 points on 14 goals and 55 assists. She tallied seven power-play goals, four game-winning goals and was a plus-102. A model of consistency, Morton tallied at least 18 points in each of her last three seasons and was a career-best plus-27 in 2002-23.
Academically, Morton earned Empire 8 President’s List honors in all eight semesters at Elmira, while earning four AHCA All-Academic Scholar honors. She was a three-time NEHC All-Academic Team selection and was named a 2023-24 College Sports Communicators At-Large Second Team All-America selection. Morton was a Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Eta Sigma honor society member.
Most recently, Morton won the Helen Bosworth Beers ‘24 Prize from Elmira College, awarded to a “junior or senior who in daily living supports religious principles, is a good student, and an outstanding citizen in the College.” She also completed the Soaring Higher Leadership program in 2023.
Off the ice, Morton excelled as a member of the Elmira community. She served as the President of the Active Minds Club for two years and was a two-year The Hidden Opponent Campus Captain. Morton hosted events to promote mental health, mindfulness, and well-being. Morton, in addition to her work with mental health, spent time in the theater. She was the student director and lead performer of the production of the Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler. In addition, she also performed and helped fund the poetry slam which was open to both the campus and Elmira community.
Morton was named the 2024 Elmira College Female Outstanding Career Achievement award and 2024 Elmira College Female Athlete of the Year award. In addition, she was an Elite 90 award nominee.
Read more on the 2023-24 DIIICA Regional Student-Athletes of the Year.
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit
www.empire8.com.
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