The William & Mary Athletics Department is proud to announce the awardees of the 2016 Celebration of Women's Athletics. This event is presented by the Tribe Club's "Women in Action" initiative and is made possible by the generous support of the Martin Family. The CWA will be held in the Sadler Center, Saturday, April 9th at 12:30 pm.

The Celebration of Women's Athletics highlights the history of women's athletics at W&M and honors exemplary alumnae whose athletic experiences helped shape their personal, professional and charitable lives.

Cicely Wolters Lewis '04, an International Relations and Government major, will receive The One Tribe Award. This award honors a former student-athlete who has graduated within the past 15 years, has significantly contributed to her community or non-profit organization and has positively impacted and inspired others. Her former teammate and current Director of W&M Swimming, Matt Crispino nominated Cicely for the One Tribe Award.  A citizen of the world, Cicely was featured in a 2011 Washington Post article that described her service with the Peace Corps: (Click here to access the original article.)

In 2005, Cicely moved to Nicaragua as a Peace Corps community health volunteer where she planned community gardens and helped build a "Casa Materna," a rural facility for pregnant women to promote institutional birth. [She served in the remote Segovian mountains border,] assisting with reproductive education, nutrition, and childcare. She also helped develop a health, hygiene and reproductive education curriculum in rural elementary schools. Cicely then worked at Peace Corps headquarters in a variety of positions. She was the Country Desk Assistant for all of Central America and the Caribbean and later the Country Desk Officer programs in Jordan and Morocco. Cicely has inspired hundreds of Peace Corps volunteers and has made the lives of thousands of people better in Central America, Africa, and the Middle East.

Cicely went on to serve as the Director of Management and Operations for Peace Corps Panama from 2011 to 2015 where she actively participated in and oversaw all aspects of the post's administrative operations, including development and implementation of long and short-range plans, procedures, and policies.  Cecily later became a Program Analyst for the USDA's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and is now transitioning to a new position with the US Agency for International Development as a Foreign Service Executive Officer.

Jill Ellis '88 is 2016 recipient of the Tribe Champion for Life Award which recognizes an alumna who has demonstrated leadership, integrity, fortitude, and excellence in her personal, professional and/or philanthropic accomplishments.

Jill is Head Coach of the reigning World Cup Champion U.S. Women's Soccer Team and is the FIFA World Coach of the Year. The first in her family to attend college, Jill earned a soccer scholarship while majoring in English Literature and Composition at W&M. Her teams qualified for the NCAA tournament in each of her four years and she received All-American honors as the program's leading scorer. Jill's coach and life long mentor of Tribe Soccer, John Daly nominated her for this award.  During her visit to campus last October, President Reveley presented Jill with the CWA Tribe Champion for Life certificate.

After earning her master's degree and working as a technical writer, Jill followed her passion to coach college soccer. She earned a career record of 248-63-14, eight Final Four appearances and a National Coach of the Year award. She rose through the US Coaching ranks and was named full time Head Coach of the national team just a year out from the 2015 World Cup. We look forward to welcoming Jill back to campus this spring when she returns as the 2016 Commencement Speaker.

The 2016 CWA Keynote speaker is the Tribe's long time Sports Psychology Consultant Dr. Deidre Connelly. Dr. Connelly came to the College from the University of Iowa, where she was a professor and the director of the sport psychology program. Dr. Connelly works with Tribe athletes, coaches, and teams on mental skills for competition, leadership training, and success skills. Additionally she serves as an advisor to the Student Athlete Advisory Council and Life Skills Coordinator for Athletics. She has been published many times and has been invited to speak at numerous conferences and seminars. Connelly received her undergraduate degree from the University of Bridgeport, and did graduate work at William & Mary. She received her MEd and Ph.D. in sport psychology from the University of Virginia. Dr. Connelly is also a member of the College's Counseling Center staff

Alumnae and friends of Women's Athletics are invited to a reception prior to the awards. We seek at least 50 "mentors" to share their professional and life experiences with current female athletes in a 50 minute networking session. The atmosphere at last year's event was electric and the feedback fabulous! Help us build a powerful community of support for women in the Tribe Family by joining us for the 2016 Celebration of Women's Athletics and other "Women in Action" events. Please click here for more information and to register for this very special event.