COLONIA, NJ – College of Staten Island women’s basketball graduate Jenalyse Alarcon (Troy, NY) and St. Thomas Aquinas College softball graduate Eliana Raposo (Wareham, MA) have been put forward as the East Coast Conference's nominees for the 2025 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Woman of the Year Award. Established in 1991, the NCAA Woman of the Year award is rooted in Title IX and recognizes graduating female college athletes who have exhausted their NCAA eligibility and distinguished themselves in academics, athletics, service, and leadership throughout their collegiate careers.

“The ECC nominees for the 2025 NCAA Woman of the Year Award reflect not just their athletic talents, but their leadership, character, and commitment to excellence in all areas of life," said Commissioner Jessica Grasso. "Both Jenalyse and Eliana are powerful examples of what it means to lead with purpose, achieve with integrity, and inspire through actions. I am proud and honored to put forward these two remarkable student-athletes for the ECC.”

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Alarcon concluded her undergraduate tenure with a 3.80 GPA, graduating from CSI’s Macaulay Honors College  with a degree in Information Systems with a concentration in IT Solutions this May. Her experience as a scholar in the Macaulay Honors Program taught her lessons in balancing responsibility, adapting to different teaching styles and expectations, and finding effective solutions while facing challenges confidently. For her efforts both on the court and in the classroom this year, Alarcon was selected as the 2025 ECC Women’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. 

"It’s an honor and a privilege to be selected and given this opportunity to represent the ECC," said Alarcon. "To be nominated for the sport that has been a big part of my life means the world to me. I am forever grateful for the lessons and friends this amazing sport has given me. The ECC and CSI have been and will continue to be my home and where I have received my greatest accomplishments as an athlete and a leader."

On the court, Alarcon was selected as the 2025 ECC Women’s Basketball Player of the Year and Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association Division II Women’s Basketball Player of the Year. The CSI senior forward topped the ECC in both steals (67) and free throws made (122) and ranked in the league’s top five in scoring (14.4 points per game), rebounding (215/7.7 rebounds per game), and blocks (26). Alarcon, a five-time ECC Player of the Week and four-time ECC Defensive Player of the Week this past spring, scored in double figures 21 times and led the Dolphins to the ECC Championship Final. She was also named to the ECC All-Tournament Team and Division 2 Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) All-East Region First Team. 

Alarcon holds CSI Division II records for points, rebounds, assists, blocks, and steals. A three-time All-ECC selection who scored over 1,000 points in her career as a Dolphin, Alarcon credits collegiate athletics for her drive to be disciplined, ability to lead by example, and efforts to stay grounded in humility. 

Alarcon’s most recent community efforts include visiting the local food pantry to package meals, organize the pantry, and help community members shop for food through Project Hospitality. On campus, Alarcon promoted basketball and baseball games through Cheer for the Dolphins, aided in CSI Sustainability Campus Clean Up efforts, organized a scavenger hunt for families and children through Family Fun Scavenger Hunt, and led an event for CSI students to promote open mic night and celebrate Thanksgiving through Fall Feast. 

A member of the CSI Student Government, Alarcon was a multi-year Student Government Senator and Evening and Weekend Commissioner. She also served as a volunteer for the 2024 New York City Marathon, ushered student groups through the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation, and hosted a day of basketball activities for a group of individuals with developmental disabilities through Lifestyles for the Disabled. 

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Raposo graduated from St. Thomas Aquinas in three years with a degree in mathematics with a concentration in actuarial science and a minor in economics. Finishing with a 3.87 GPA, one of Raposo’s finest academic accomplishments was her participation in the College Fed Challenge; she worked with five other STAC student-athletes to create and deliver a presentation to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, in which she analyzed the economy and created a policy recommendation. Raposo also served as a tutor for a number of her peers and, for her efforts both on the field and in the classroom, was selected as the 2025 ECC Softball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. 

“It is an honor to be selected as an ECC representative for the NCAA Woman of the Year,” said Raposo. “My time as a member of STAC Softball and the ECC has been nothing short of incredible, and I am beyond grateful for the countless experiences and opportunities that I have been lucky enough to have that have helped me to grow in the classroom, on the field, in the community, and, most importantly, as a person.”

On the field, Raposo repeated as the ECC Player of the Year this spring after batting a conference-leading .408 while also topping the ECC in slugging percentage (.741), hits (60), runs scored (48), and home runs (12). The STAC junior centerfielder also ranked second in runs batted in (42), fourth in stolen bases (17), and fifth in doubles (13). In conference play only, Raposo slugged at a clip of .723 and boasted a .354 batting average with an ECC-leading seven home runs and 23 runs scored to go with 24 runs batted in and 23 hits. Raposo also sported an unblemished 1.000 fielding percentage, making 69 putouts and six assists without an error in centerfield heading into the postseason. 

For her career, Raposo was a 2024 NFCA Division II Softball All-American, two-time NFCA and D2CCA All-East Region selection, two-time ECC Player of the Year, and two-time All-ECC First Teamer. She led STAC to the program’s first two ECC Championship titles while holding program records for single-season RBI, runs scored, and home runs as well as career RBI and runs scored. 

Volunteering has been a meaningful part of Raposo’s college journey. She volunteered as an assistant coach with South Coast StingRays AAU Baseball for four years, with instruction on conditioning, hitting, and fielding. Entering that role as a high school sophomore, Raposo quickly became a supportive older sister figure to the boys, offering guidance not just in baseball, but in academics and personal challenges. As she shared her own experiences and helped build their confidence and resilience, Raposo watched them grow as players and individuals and taught her the power of mentorship. 

Through the STAC softball program, Raposo also served as a volunteer for Touching Bases, a softball league for adults with disabilities. She also served on STAC’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Raposo credits these diverse volunteer opportunities for allowing her to experience life from a broader perspective. 

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The NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee, composed of representatives from the NCAA membership, will next choose the top 30 honorees - 10 from each division - to be announced in Fall of 2025. The field will be further narrowed with the announcement of nine finalists (three from each division). The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics will choose the 2024 NCAA Woman of the Year, to be named at January's NCAA Convention.

A pair of ECC student-athletes have advanced to the top nine in the conference’s storied history - LIU Post women's lacrosse standouts Bridgett Soares in 2013 and Jackie Sileo in 2024. Molloy softball's Tracey Balinskas and Daemen women's basketball's Katie Titus advanced to the top 30 in 2016 and 2022, respectively.