Waterville, ME - Recently graduated Vermont State University Lyndon women's basketball player Sage Smith (Colebrook, NH) has been nominated for both the National Collegiate Athletic Association and North Atlantic Conference Woman of the Year awards. Both awards encompass all facets of the NCAA Division III Student-Athlete experience.
Smith graduated in May with a Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Science with an Individual Program of Study concentration, She earned a 3,90 grade point average and was named to the President's List three times and the Dean's List four times. She was named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team in both 2023-24 and 2024-25, and was named to the NAC All-Academic Team in each of her four years at Lyndon.
Smith was a member of the Sports Medicine Club. She also volunteered at the annual campus blood drive in each of the past three years, and was honored as Volunteer of the Day. Smith was also a laboratory assistant and a peer tutor for Lyndon's Exercise Science department.
Smith was a four-year member of the Lyndon women's basketball team and was named team captain as a senior. Over her career she established herself as one of the premier players in the NAC. She completed her career with 1,288 points, 460 rebounds, and 163 assists. She was a 1st Team NAC All-Conference selection as a senior, after being named to the 3rd Team as both a junior and a sophomore. She was also the recipient of Lyndon's Dudley Bell Award in both 2023-24 and 2024-25. That award is given annually to Lyndon's outstanding female athlete.
Smith was the leading scorer in the NAC this past season, averaging 19.6 points per game. That increased to 22.2 points per game in conference play, 4.4 points per game more than the next closest player. She was also second in the conference in three-point percentage (34.3%), third in field goal percentage (40.7%) and fifth in free throw percentage (78.4%). She also averaged 5.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists while playing a NAC leading 36 minutes per game. Smith was a three-time NAC Player of the Week selection.
Smith was also a member of the Lyndon women's tennis team in 2023.
Smith shared some thoughts on her time as a student athlete at Lyndon. "Reflecting upon my time and experiences at Lyndon, there are three words I can use to summarize what has shaped me into the person I have become: community, leadership, and education. Attending a small school in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont I realized community is what bridges the gaps between the students and the locals. I have volunteered in the community assisting with blood drives, youth sports clinics, and training older adults. Without these experiences, I would never have felt the real sense of community that Lyndon brings to the table and would have missed out on many connections I have made throughout the years. As a former captain on the basketball team, leadership is something I had to learn. I never have been someone to lead with a voice, but rather, with an example. Words can often get misconstrued, but actions are clearly demonstrated and remembered by most. Being a student-athlete means prioritizing school over athletics, and often, this required sacrifices to ensure I was making the most of my education. With these sacrifices, growth in not only my academic career was seen, but in my personal life as well. Athletics have taught me many lessons not only about myself, but also how to work and collaborate as a team. Diversity in sports prepares you to not only deal with the unexpected, but, to thrive and persevere as well."
Smith plans to continue her education at Bay Path University, where she will pursue a Master of Science in Occupation Therapy.
Smith is among eight outstanding female student athletes that have been nominated for the NAC Woman of the Year award. The NAC Woman of the Year award is modeled after the NCAA's Woman of the Year program. The NAC Woman of the Year will be announced on June 30, and honored on her campus during the 2025-2026 academic year.
The NAC Woman of the Year nominees are all nominated for the 2025 NCAA Woman of the Year award. The NCAA Woman of the Year program was established in 1991 and honors the academic achievements, athletics excellence, community service and leadership of graduating female college athletes from all three divisions. To be eligible, a nominee must have competed and earned a varsity letter in an NCAA-sponsored sport and must have earned her undergraduate degree by Summer 2025.
Eligible female student-athletes are nominated by their member school. Each conference office then reviews the nominations from its core member schools (and sponsored sports) and submits its conference nominee(s) to the NCAA. All nominees who compete in a sport that is not sponsored by their school's primary conference, as well as associate conference nominees and independent nominees, will be sent to a separate pool to be considered by a committee. Then, the NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee identifies the Top 30 – 10 from each division – and from there selects three finalists from each division. From the nine finalists, the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics then selects the 2024 NCAA Woman of the Year, who is named during the 2026 NCAA Convention.
