Lariviere '09 Garners Major GNAC Honor
August 11, 2009
The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) has named Cathryn Lariviere '09 as its 2009 Woman of the Year. The Saints cross country and track and field star is the College's first-ever athlete to be selected and will represent the GNAC as its nominee for NCAA Woman of the Year.
The GNAC Woman of the Year award honors a senior female student-athlete who has distinguished herself throughout her collegiate career in the areas of academic achievement, athletic excellence and service and leadership.
"I'd say being named the GNAC Woman of the Year is the ultimate award the conference has to give to a female student-athlete," said Commissioner Joe Walsh. "It means she is the top woman of the year in the GNAC, so there is nothing really higher than that, not even the MVP honor."
Lariviere established herself as one of Emmanuel's finest runners throughout her time with the Saints. She holds nine program records including the 5K (cross country), 800m, 1000m, 1 mile, 3000m, 4x800m relay team (indoor track) and 800m, 1500m, 5000m (outdoor track). During her four-year career she earned 12 varsity letters and captained three teams. Lariviere attributes much of her success to the coaches and teammates who surrounded and supported her.
"My coaches and teammates could best be described as my immediate family at Emmanuel," she said. "My coaches always stressed academics first, and they encouraged all of us to work hard and make goals across each section of our lives, not just for the course or the track. In addition, my teammates and I were there for each other at all times, and due to this, I always knew I had people I could count on."
Emmanuel Head Cross Country and Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Coach Tony DaRocha and Assistant Coach Alice Kramer could not have been happier after hearing of Lariviere's Woman of the Year honor.
"We were proud of her and felt that it was a well deserved honor," said DaRocha. "Her accomplishments exceeded our expectations, especially based on her previous two injury-plagued years. She worked hard, followed her summer training program and came to us in the fall well prepared, physically and mentally, to have a great season. She started out strong and continued to set records and reach new goals."
"As a captain and runner, she continuously looked at the positive side of things and made all of her teammates feel good about themselves," said Kramer. "Even when she was injured, she would come to practice and the meets to support her teammates. She had a personality that made it easy to coach her and for her teammates to genuinely care about her and be happy for her success."
Lariviere was also named the GNAC's 2009 Women's Cross Country Runner of the Year, placing 1st at the GNAC Championship. During the past season alone, Lariviere was named the GNAC's Women's Cross Country Runner of the Week for six-straight weeks. She also placed 21st out of a field of 330 at the NCAA Regional meet, earning All-Regional honors and reaching one of her most memorable achievements.
"Aside from the GNAC Woman of the Year honor, I would say that finishing in the top 25 for the NCAA DIII New England Regionals in cross country is the achievement I am most proud of because only one other GNAC female runner has ever accomplished this," said Lariviere.
On the track, her 8th place finish in the 10K at the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championships earned her All-ECAC honors, a first for an Emmanuel women's track runner. Her time of 39:30.12 also set a new Emmanuel program record.,
In addition to countless athletic accolades, Lariviere also graduated from Emmanuel College in 2009 with a 4.00 cumulative grade point average. An elementary education and liberal arts major, Lariviere's academic achievements include her selection as an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American. Lariviere was one of just six women chosen as an Academic All-American from the college division in the New England region. Lariviere was also named to the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association's (USTFCCCA) Women's NCAA Division III All-Academic Cross Country Team, an award honoring student-athletes who have succeeded both academically and athletically.
Beyond these athletic and academic honors, Lariviere was also an active leader in the Emmanuel community. She was a member of the student government for four years, holding the position of class president and treasurer, served as a member of the student athlete advisory council, and was an orientation leader for first-year students.
"I definitely kept busy, but I was able to keep up with it all by maintaining a schedule and learning how to prioritize," Lariviere explained. "Also, I had a variety of Emmanuel professors, faculty and coaches who were constantly there to support me. Most of all, I truly enjoyed these activities, so I was intrinsically motivated to be as successful as possible in each area."
Lariviere is now teaching the grade five Advanced Work class at the David G. Farragut Elementary School, the Boston Public School where she completed her undergraduate student teaching. She has also been training and racing on her own this past summer, and plans to join a running club in the area this fall to begin to train and compete as a post-graduate.
Lariviere's many successes as an Emmanuel student-athlete proves that she truly is the 2009 GNAC Woman of the Year. Receiving this award is a fitting way to end her four-year career at the College.
"To me, this honor means that, as I always tell my students, hard work and dedication really are the keys to achieving your goals."
