SUWANEE, Ga. – In an announcement made today, Eliza Beaudin ’22, a member of the Elmira College women’s hockey team, was recognized as the inaugural Division III Commissioner’s Association (D3CA) Women’s Sport Student-Athlete of the Year.
Earlier this month, Beaudin was named the 2021-22 Division III Commissioner’s Association Region III Women’s Student-Athlete of the Year. 10 regional winners advanced to the national ballot for consideration for the inaugural D3CA Men’s Sport Student-Athlete of the Year and Women’s Sport Student-Athlete of the Year.
“It is an honor to recognize both Eliza Beaudin and Ryan Beard as our inaugural Division III Commissioner’s Association Student-Athletes of the Year,” said D3CA Awards Committee chair and Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference commissioner Dwayne Hanberry. “To rise to the top among the thousands of decorated and accomplished student-athletes that our division has to offer is quite the achievement and certainly one worth celebrating.”
Beaudin, a member of the Elmira College women’s hockey team who was also named the 2021-22 Empire 8 Co-Woman of the Year, recently graduated summa cum laude with a cumulative grade-point average of 3.94 as a psychology major. The Lewiston, Maine native and two-year captain was a part of three United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) Tournament Championships (2019, 2020, 2021), while also helping Elmira to New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) Regular Season and Tournament Championships in 2022. The Soaring Eagles finished 84-12-4 in Beaudin’s four seasons.
Individually, Beaudin ranks seventh in program history in goals (58) and finished with 119 total points in just 90 games. Her four short-handed goals rank second in program history, while her 13 game-winning goals, 17 power-play goals, and five short-handed goals also rank in the top-10 all-time for Elmira in its storied history.
This season, Beaudin was named a finalist for the Laura Hurd Award, bestowed by the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) Division III Women’s Hockey Player of the Year, while she earned CCM/AHCA First Team All-American accolades. Beaudin led the Soaring Eagles and was among the national leaders in scoring with 42 points on 18 goals and 24 assists in 30 games played. She tallied five power-play goals, five shorthanded tallies and was a plus-37 on the season. Beaudin, who served as Elmira’s captain in 2021-22, led the Soaring Eagles to a 25-4-1 record and a berth in the NCAA Division III Frozen Four.
Academically, Beaudin earned Dean’s List honors in each of her semesters at Elmira, while earning numerous UCHC, Empire 8, ACHA, and NEHC academic honors. The New England Hockey Conference Player of the Year in 2022 also served as the Vice President of Omicron
Delta Kappa (ODK) at Elmira College – the National Leadership Honor’s Society, the President of PSI CHI – Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology, as well as the Treasurer of the Active Minds Club along with Phi Eta Sigma. Most recently, Beaudin was named to the 2021-22 CoSIDA Academic All-America® Women’s At-Large Team for Division III.
Off the ice, Beaudin excelled as a member of the Elmira community. She served in the Chemung County Public Defender’s Office, was part of the Elmira College Retention Team and Active Minds Club, while coaching Corning Girls Youth Ice Hockey during the 2021-22 season. In addition, Beaudin was a Corning Wineglass Marathon Volunteer, a volunteer for the Elmira Hibernians Club and Food Bank of the Southern Tier.
Beaudin began her collegiate career by enjoying an excellent freshman season in 2018-19, tallying 34 points on 17 goals and 17 assists in 28 games, while earning UCHC All-Rookie Team honors and helping lead the Soaring Eagles to the NCAA Quarterfinals. She garnered All-UCHC second team accolades and led Elmira to the 2019-20 UCHC Championship, despite missing several games due to injury. She finished the season with 14 goals and 23 points in 18 games, before the NCAA Tournament was wiped out due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Beaudin added 20 points in nine goals and 11 assists in 14 games during the shortened 2020-21 season, leading Elmira to its third straight UCHC crown and All-UCHC honorable mention plaudits.
“First off, it is my honor to accept this inaugural award and I am extremely grateful to be recognized by the Division III Commissioner’s Association,” said Beaudin. “Accepting this award would not be possible without the heart of my teammates, so my utmost respect to those girls for pushing me every day.”
“I would also like to thank Elmira College and the Elmira College Athletics Department for the opportunity to play hockey for such a storied women’s ice hockey program. Lastly, thank you to my family for being my number one support system. This award means more than words can express.”
