IWLCA Announces 2019 Community Awareness Award Winners
Three student-athletes honored
The IWLCA announced that Maggie McCarthy of the University of Delaware, Amanda Dickerson of Pace University and Maddy Heher of Denison University are the 2019 IWLCA Community Awareness Award Winners.
The Community Awareness Award recognizes those student-athletes who have contributed significantly to their community in a given academic year. These students have given their time and energy to support and develop athlete-community relations and have distinguished themselves from their peers.
Division I – Maggie McCarthy, University of Delaware
McCarthy, a senior attacker for the Blue Hens, volunteers with the Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation, an organization founded to honor 14-year old Delaware native Andrew McDonough who passed away from leukemia in 2007. UD has become very involved with this organization in their quest to end pediatric cancer, and every sports team adopts a “hero” to support. McCarthy has developed a close relationship with Hayden Weiss, who was four years old and undergoing treatment for Retinoblastoma when McCarthy first met her during her freshman year. McCarthy’s work on UDance, a yearlong philanthropic effort culminating in a dance marathon to raise funds and awareness for pediatric cancer, resulted in the women’s lacrosse team raising over $18,000 for the cause.
McCarthy also helped run lacrosse clinics and established a mentoring program for the Serviam Girl’s Academy, a Catholic middle school for girls from low-income families. Additional service activities McCarthy participated in during the past year includes the SAAC Special Olympics Talent Show, the Caring for Katie 5k Run/Walk, the University of Delaware Athletics Food Drive, and Reps for Kids, a SAAC initiative that raised funds for UDance. McCarthy, a marketing major, is a four-year letter winner for the Blue Hens and a three-time member of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Commissioner’s Honor roll.
Photo courtesy of University of Delaware Athletics.
Division II – Amanda Dickerson, Pace University
Dickerson is a senior majoring in applied psychology and human relations and a seven-time Northeast-10 Academic Honor Roll selection. She participated in Read Across America Day, the Susan G. Komen Walk and took on a leadership role in several activities. Dickerson organized Pace student-athletes participation in the Bedford Road Elementary school recess program where the athletes participated with kindergarten students and organized her team’s participation in P4K: Pace for Kids, a dance marathon to raise funds for the local children’s hospital.
Dickerson spearheaded the planning and execution of the Out of the Shadows: Co-Occurring Disorders Awareness Walk to benefit the Harris Project last fall. She is certified in mental health first aid training and volunteered at Greenwich High School and New Rochelle High School to assist with the mental health awareness days. Dickerson was named a National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) All-American and is a member of the SAAC and the Lambda Sigma Honor Society.
Photo courtesy of Pace University Athletics.
Division III – Maddy Heher, Denison University
Heher, a senior political science major, is very active in service activities, both on the Denison campus, and in the local community. She spearheaded two activities in response to student suicides, a Mental Health Awareness Day featuring mental health advocate Victoria Garrick, and a gathering for the International Community. Heher also organized her team’s participation in the promotion and event support for the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) Walk in Athens, OH. She has been an active volunteer for Big Brother, Big Sister for the past four years, and helped plan a benefit game for the One Love Foundation. She also volunteered as a coach for Go Soccer, an organization that provides opportunities for children with developmental and physical disabilities together to be active in a sport environment.
Heher, a magna cum laude graduate, is a member of the Pi Sigma Alpha political science honor society, a Dean’s list student, and was named to both the NCAC and the IWLCA Academic Honor Rolls. She received the Live Learn Lead Tri Delta scholarship, the Clark and Irma Morrow scholarship, and was named a James T. Glerum Top 50 Scholar Athlete for the past three years. Heher was recently named an IWLCA second-team All-Great Lakes Region selection.
Photo courtesy of Denison University Athletics.