Northeast-10 Conference Man and Woman of the Year finalists

MANSFIELD, Mass. (June 3, 2021) -- Junior Alena Masterson (Pelham, N.H.) of the Franklin Pierce University women’s cross country and track & field program has been named as a finalist for the Northeast-10 Conference Woman of the Year award, as announced on Tuesday by the league office.

Masterson is one of three finalists for the Woman of the Year award, which were announced alongside the three finalists for the NE10’s Man of the Year award. Per the NE10: “The NE10 Man and Woman of the Year awards honor student-athletes for their excellence in competition, in the classroom and in the community. The Woman of the Year award winner will be forwarded to the NCAA for their National Woman of the Year award, serving as the NE10's nomination.”

Each of the NE10’s 14 member institutions nominated one student-athlete apiece for the Man and Woman of the Year awards. The winners of each award will be announced as part of the NE10’s end-of-year awards ceremony, which is set for Monday, June 7, and will be streamed on NE10 NOW - the conference’s digital streaming platform.

Masterson is a communications major who carries a perfect, 4.0 grade-point average. She has been a team captain and has captured the NE10 Elite 24 award for women’s cross country in back-to-back years. This spring, Masterson earned a Second Team All-NE10 accolade as a member of a 4x800-meter relay squad which took second at the NE10 Championships.

Away from competition, Masterson has served as president of the Justice in Action Athletic Alliance, a student-run group at Franklin Pierce designed to combat systemic injustice. She has also been active in the Women in Leadership program, and has served as both a senator and secretary for Franklin Pierce’s Student Government Association.

Masterson is the first Franklin Pierce finalist for either award since women’s soccer’s Amanda Panaro ’12 was a finalist for the Woman of the Year award in 2012.