Melissa Block ’04
Soccer and lacrosse may be her sports, but Melissa Block ’04 knows a
lot about hurdle-jumping.
This award-winning athlete and Virginia’s NCAA Woman of the Year had
to overcome a host of obstacles to get to where she found herself this fall:
a top ten national finalist in the 2004 NCAA Woman of the Year program.
Block is the first woman from Mary Washington ever to achieve this distinction,
which is the NCAA’s highest honor, and one of only two NCAA Division
III athletes to advance this far. According to UMW lacrosse coach Dana Hall,
who nominated her, Block exhibits all of the qualities associated with the
award – dedication, academic achievement, hard work, community service,
character and cooperation.
Block, a native of Annapolis, Md., didn’t make the lacrosse team her
first year of high school. Inspired rather than dejected, she signed up for
a class to continue playing the game and hone her skills for the following
year’s tryouts.
Her hard work paid off and she made the junior varsity lacrosse team as a
sophomore. Block continued to improve, making the varsity lacrosse team her
junior year. A versatile athlete, she also was a standout on her high school
soccer team and was the Anne Arundel County indoor track champion at 500 meters.
Obstacles continued to loom. Her first year at Mary Washington, Block failed
to make the women’s soccer team. Rather than allow herself to feel defeated,
she decided to try out for the women’s lacrosse team. She not only made
the team, she became a starter and was the only freshman to be a part of the
Final Four.
Block went on to become a two-time Capital Athletic Conference player of the
year, a two-time Division III defensive player of the year, and a two-time
consensus All-American. She also led Mary Washington to three NCAA Tournaments.
Block dominated the Capital Athletic Conference during those three seasons
in the categories of ground balls and caused turnovers.
Not only does she outshine others on the field, Block also stands out in the
classroom. She graduated in the spring with a 3.68 cumulative grade point
average and a 3.72 grade point average in her biology major. She was honored
by being named to the President’s List, the Dean’s List and the
National Society of Collegiate Scholars. She was also an active member of
the Mortar Board Society, Alpha Phi Sigma Honor Society and the Chi Beta Phi
Science Honor Society. Block won the Mary Siegrist Hinz Leadership Award and
was named to the Women’s Lacrosse Association National All-Academic
team.
In her spare time, she volunteered with Friends of the Rappahannock, the National
Council of Jewish Women and Genesis Eldercare Spa Creek Center. She also helped
out in the emergency room at Anne Arundel Medical Center.
Block is now taking classes at Anne Arundel Community College in order to
earn her master’s degree and become a nurse practitioner. She hopes
to play intramural lacrosse in the spring.
Photo by Clint Often