ARNOLD, MD - The Riverhawk Athletic Department has the exhilarating pleasure to announce recent student-athlete graduate, Sofia Michael of the Riverhawk women's lacrosse program, has earned the NJCAA Betty Jo Graber Award – recognizing her as the 2017-18 Female Student-Athlete of The Year.

Spanning nation-wide with 24 different regions consisting of 525 institutions, the NJCAA selects just one student-athlete a year to receive the honor. Thanks to Sofia Michael's accomplishments for her two-year career within the NJCAA, Anne Arundel Community College, Region XX, and the Maryland Junior College Athletic Conference will forever be represented among the highly prestigious list.

A single student-athlete specifically earns the Betty Jo Graber Award when, in addition to top statistical achievements on the field and in the classroom, also demonstrates traits exhibited by Betty Jo Graber – leadership, dedication, service, and resilience. Honored annually since the award's inauguration in 1992, Sofia Michael is the first student-athlete from AACC and the state of Maryland to be awarded.

Residing in Crofton, Maryland as an Arundel High School graduate, Sofia began at Anne Arundel Community College with an uncertainty of continuing her lacrosse career. Upon a final discussion with recently retired women's lacrosse head coach Jim Griffiths, Michael decided to once again compete – making the decision just one day before tryouts.

Finishing her freshman year with stellar stats on the field and the classroom, Michael continued to further develop as a leader and role model as she transitioned to a sophomore captain for the program. The growth, stemming from her hard work and dedication, solidified her as a NJCAA All-American two years in a row, a sophomore All-Academic honoree, and contributor to her team's success in back-to-back National Championship semi-final appearances.

Graduating from AACC with a 3.44 GPA Sofia Michael is attending Ashland University on an academic and athletic scholarship to pursue her bachelor's degree in Nursing, while competing for the NCAA DII women's lacrosse team.

The Riverhawk Athletic Department is exceedingly grateful for the opportunity to have assisted and facilitated Sofia Michael's admirable journey and wishes her the best of luck.

You can read more about Sofia Michael and the Betty Jo Graber award from the NJCAA press release.

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