MANSFIELD, Mass. - Ivy Watts (Waltham, Mass./Waltham) of the University of New Haven women's track & field team has been named the Northeast-10 Conference Co-Woman of the Year as announced by the conference office at its awards banquet on Monday night. She shares the award with Bentley University field hockey student-athlete, Gina Lirange

Watts recently graduated with a 3.98 GPA in psychology. She received the 2014-15 Female Distinguished Scholar Athlete Award in March from the New Haven faculty. On the track, she holds or is a part of five Charger records and this past winter earned All-America honors in the 4x400 relay.

"I believe that our daily experiences are truly what mold us into the people that we become," explained Watts. "I entered college unsure of myself and afraid to take risks, but I can truly say that my experiences over the four years through being a student, an athlete, and an active person in the community, have made me a more confident person…As easy as it may have seemed to quit, I continued to work hard every day in order to accomplish my goals. I often felt confused and defeated, but I learned how important it was to overcome hardships and to continue to be the best version of me. My experiences have allowed me to grow as a person and ultimately helped me to find myself."

Watts is the second New Haven student-athlete to be named NE-10 Woman of the Year joining Shannon Gagne in 2010-11.