NORFOLK, Va., July 15, 2022 – The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) has named Cathryn Lane from Coppin State University as the 2022 Woman of the Year, the conference office announced.
The award, selected annually by the MEAC Senior Woman Administrators, celebrates the achievements of senior female student-athletes who have excelled in academics, athletics, service and leadership.
“It is my honor to congratulate Cathryn Lane as the first MEAC Woman of the Year during my tenure as commissioner,” MEAC Commissioner Sonja Stills said. “Cathryn has had a spectacular career, not just on the track, but also in the classroom and the community. She is the embodiment of the term ‘student-athlete,’ and I want to thank Coppin State’s coaches, athletics staff and academic support personnel, as well as Cathryn’s family, for their part in her success.”
The 2021-22 campaign saw Lane earn All-Region honors with the 4x400-meter relay team, which competed in the NCAA East Preliminary and ran a season-best 3:38.73. She also earned Second Team All-MEAC honors this past season in the outdoor 4x100-meter relay and the indoor 4x400-meter relay – and during the MEAC Indoor Championships, she set personal bests in the 200 and 400 meters.
Lane helped the Eagles win gold in the 4x400-meter relay this past April in the Norfolk State Invitational, running a 3:39.00 (which was a season best prior to the NCAA East Preliminary race).
In February 2020, Lane earned Third Team All-MEAC honors in the indoor 4x400-meter relay.
A native of Baltimore, Md., Lane earned a Bachelor of Science degree, graduating with a 3.59 GPA. In 2019, she was a member of the Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society, and she was a member of the Chi Alpha Sigma honor society in 2020. 2021 saw Lane named a Featherstone Scholar with the William and Lanea Foundation.
A three-time MEAC Commissioner’s All-Academic Team honoree, Lane was a member of the National League for Nursing Leadership in 2021-22, and 2022 also saw her named a Mercy Hospital Alumnae Scholar by the Nursing Foundation of Maryland and the Deb Moss Foundation’s Jackie Robinson Award.
Lane was equally active in the community. In 2021, she participated in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s, helping raise funds and awareness for a breakthrough in the fight against Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia. She also coordinated the recruitmenmt of 35 student-athlete volunteers for the First Lady Wellness Challenge, and 2021 also saw Lane volunteer at the Waxter Senior Center, leading aerobics classes and educating seniors on cardiovascular health, nutrition and disease prevention.
In 2022, Lane gave a presentation for Red Dress Sunday, educating the community of cardiovascular diseases risk factors and methods of prevention.
Lane is now a candidate for the NCAA Woman of the Year award, which will be named in the fall.
MEAC Woman of the Year Honorees
2006 Renecia Lovelace, North Carolina A&T State (Softball)
2007 Courtney Smiley, Howard (Basketball)
2008 Jessica Worsley, Maryland Eastern Shore (Bowling)
2009 Loreal Smith, North Carolina A&T State (Track & Field)
2010 Kalyn Washburn, Delaware State (Bowling)
2011 Kristina Frahm, Maryland Eastern Shore (Bowling)
2012 Jazmyne Hefflefinger, Delaware State (Bowling)
2013 T’nia Falbo, Maryland Eastern Shore (Bowling)
2014 Christina Epps, Coppin State (Track & Field)
2015 Mariana Alvarado Nava, Maryland Eastern Shore (Bowling)
2016 Jenny Tracy, North Carolina Central (Softball)
2017 Thashaina Seraus, Maryland Eastern Shore (Bowling)
2018 Lyndsey Edwards, Bethune-Cookman (Basketball)
2019 Damali Young, Morgan State (Softball)
2020 Alelee Figueroa, Florida A&M (Track & Field)
2021 Salma Gonzalez, Coppin State (Volleyball)
2022 Cathryn Lane, Coppin State (Cross Country/Track & Field)
About the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) is in its 52nd year of intercollegiate competition with the 2022-23 academic school year. Located in Norfolk, Va., the MEAC is made up of eight outstanding historically black institutions across the Atlantic coastline: Coppin State University, Delaware State University, Howard University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Morgan State University, Norfolk State University, North Carolina Central University and South Carolina State University.