IWLCA Announcement

NORTHBOROUGH, Mass. – Slippery Rock University women's lacrosse senior Camryn Whipple was named Thursday as the 2024 NCAA Division II winner of the Community Awareness Award presented by the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association.
 
The Individual Community Awareness Award recognizes student-athletes who have contributed significantly to their community in a given academic year. The winners have donated their time and energy to support and develop athlete-community relations and have distinguished themselves from their peers.
 
A May graduate from Washington, Pennsylvania, Whipple joins Division I winner Julia Carr from the University of Notre Dame and Division III winner Yasmin Harris from Rowan University as the three winners of the 2024 Community Awareness Awards.
 
Whipple's extensive commitment to community service includes multiple volunteer experiences, both in the Slippery Rock community and in her home community.
 
Throughout her entire SRU career, she volunteered with the Transitions Achievement Program, where she has mentored high school students with diverse needs, focusing on life skills, vocational training and physical activities.
 
She also volunteered all four years during the annual Weekend of Welcome on campus, where she and her teammates assisted incoming freshmen with moving into their dorms and acclimating to campus.
 
During her senior year at SRU this year, Whipple and some of her teammates volunteered as coaches for the Butler High School Girls Lacrosse team, demonstrating leadership by organizing practices and supporting the team during a coaching transition at the school. She also coordinated Mercer Elementary School's Literacy Night.
 
Perhaps her most notable service contribution has come at the Envision Blind Sports Camp, where she coaches blind athletes in lacrosse and provides mentorship to the campers with more than 150 hours of service to date.
 
In addition to her volunteer efforts in and around Slippery Rock, she has also spent time during her SRU career as a volunteer coach for her high school Alma Mater, Canon-McMillan, by giving back as a volunteer coach during the summer and winter breaks.
 
A standout on the field and in the classroom, Whipple was named to first team All-PSAC honors this spring after leading SRU in scoring with 75 points on 32 goals and 43 assists, breaking the program's single-season assist record in the process. The 75 points marked the second highest single-season total in program history. She was also named to Academic All-District honors after posting a nearly flawless 3.956 GPA with more than 150 credit hours in the classroom. She earned her degree in early childhood and special education with minors in elementary school mathematics and coaching.
 
Whipple becomes the first Slippery Rock player to win the Community Awareness Award from the IWLCA.
 
 
 
 
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