Editor's Note: This week, we'll be looking back at Syracuse sports in 2015 by announcing our selections for different superlatives, which were voted on by the TNIAAM staff. Today, we announce our selection for Best Female Athlete.
In 2015, there was no shortage of success put forth by Syracuse's women's athletic teams. The women's lacrosse team reached a fourth consecutive final four; the women's basketball team advanced to the second round in the NCAA Tournament; the women's cross country team finished 12th at the national championship; and the field hockey team won the national championship.
Given that, there were a wide pool of candidates to pull from for our Best Female Athlete acknowledgement. But the finalists the TNIAAM staff settled on were Alma Fenne (field hockey), Alyssa Manley (field hockey), Emma Russell (field hockey) and Kayla Treanor (women's lacrosse).
Fenne led the field hockey team in scoring with 19 goals and 47 points. The graduate student was named ACC Offensive Player of the Year, and earned 1st Team All-ACC honors. Manley, meanwhile, won the Honda Award, given to the top female athletes in 12 NCAA sports. She was named 1st Team All-American by the NFHCA, which was her 3rd consecutive All-America selection, and was selected as the 2015 ACC Defensive Player of the Year. And Russell capped her career by becoming Syracuse's All-Time Leading Scorer. She joined Manley on the NFHCA 1st Team All-America squad, and was a 2nd-team All ACC selection.