Yuleska Ramirez-Tejeda '20 Named as GNAC Woman of the Year Finalist

WINTHROP, Mass. – Senior Yuleska Ramirez-Tejeda '20 of both the Emmanuel College women's basketball and softball programs was one of six finalists selected for the 2020 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Woman of the Year Award as announced by the conference on Thursday, July 2.

The winner, which will be unveiled in late July, is selected using the same criteria as the NCAA's Woman of the Year Program, including academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership, and a personal statement. 

Along with Ramirez-Tejeda, this year's GNAC finalists include Alison Fairbairn of Colby-Sawyer College cross country/track & field; Maria Coniglio of Johnson & Wales University (RI) women's volleyball; Mindy Esposito of Lasell University field hockey; Lillian Bisset of Saint Joseph's College of Maine soccer/track & field; and Emily Manfra of Suffolk University cross country/track & field.

Ramirez-Tejeda was a Saints two-sport standout both on the basketball hardwood and the softball diamond. The Criminal Justice major also minored in Spanish, graduating from Emmanuel with a 3.90 GPA. The Cambridge, Mass. native has three times earned the prestigious CoSIDA Academic All-America honors in her career: 2019 Basketball Second Team, 2020 Basketball First Team, and 2020 Softball Third Team.

In women's hoop, she was a three-time All-GNAC First Teamer and was named the 2020 GNAC Player of the Year. In 86 career games, she averaged 18.6 points (.524), 10.9 rebounds, 2.0 steals, and led Emmanuel to back-to-back GNAC titles and NCAA appearances her junior and senior seasons. Meanwhile for softball, she was a 2018 GNAC Third Team selection and was voted the 2019 GNAC Player of the Year along with the First Team nod, hitting .396 with 38 extra-base hits, including 18 homers, 59 runs, and 68 RBI in 76 career games. She had a ridiculous 1.653 OPS through six games this spring before the season's abrupt cancellation.

Ramirez-Tejeda was the Andrew Yosinoff Athletic Achievement Award Recipient, given annually to a senior athlete who has excelled on the playing field and provided the greatest contribution to the athletic reputation of Emmanuel College through exceptional athletic achievement. Some of her leadership opportunities included lead captain for local school community service projects with the basketball program, a youth counselor and camp mentor at Tenacity Summer Camp, member of the Emmanuel SAAC, work-study student within the athletic department, stints working for both Emmanuel Campus Safety and the Emmanuel Office of Diversity & Inclusion, and a Boston Police Department internship.

Ramirez-Tejeda's personal statement: "Growing up with a single mother shaped me into the person I am today. I grew up with a strong mother who wanted something better for me and my siblings. From a young age, she taught us to work hard and fight through life's adversities. Seeing my mother struggle and sacrifice so much inspired me to work hard for everything. By the age of nine, I saw everything I didn't want to be and used sports as an outlet to be someone my mom believed in – someone she could be proud of.

My student-athlete experiences have given me lifetime friends, endless memories, laughter, and valuable life lessons that I'll cherish forever. As a student-athlete, I've accomplished more than I ever dreamt of. I've done things that have even shaken me, but to me, those are not my most important accomplishments. I loved every second of being a collegiate athlete because not many have the opportunity to experience that. It has been a privilege wearing an Emmanuel jersey for the last three years. Aside from winning championships or upsetting teams nobody else thought we would, my greatest accomplishment would have to be the relationships I built, as well as leaving Emmanuel better than I found it. Today, I thank Coach Andy Yosinoff and his staff for taking a chance on me when nobody else did. He bet on me and believed that I could come into his program and be the leader he envisioned. I owe everything to him and I'm the player today because of him. He has done things for me that nobody else has and I'm forever grateful. To all of my teammates: thank you for always having my back and making me look better than I was as a player. Others looking up to me pushed me to be the best version of myself because I feared letting you down. To Coach Olivia Berry: thank you for creating a softball family culture, for bringing your passion and competitiveness every day, and for always forcing me to be comfortable being uncomfortable. To my forever friends: thank you for being the best support system anyone could ask for. You all have truly changed my life.

I'm indebted to Emmanuel for allowing me to grow and be a part of something bigger than myself. Being a student-athlete allowed me to push through adversity, be tough and never give up. It gave me the opportunity to lead others and inspire youths to believe that they can achieve greatness. Emmanuel gave me the necessary tools to go on and make the world a better place. I hope that the legacy I'm leaving behind goes far beyond broken records, winning seasons, championships, and individual awards. I hope I have inspired those who look up to me to shoot for the stars and never give up on their dreams. Bet on yourself even when nobody else does and be the change you wish to see in the world one day."