Williamsburg, KY – Bella Ricchiazzi is already one of the most decorated players in Cumberlands women's lacrosse history and on Monday she etched her name in the record books once again becoming the first Patriot to be named the IWLCA NAIA Scholar-Athlete of the Year.  This caps off an incredible season of stellar performances and accolades for the Framingham, MA native.

Ricchiazzi graduated in May with a major in Elementary education with a concentration in Special Education.  This year she recorded 100 goals, 61 assists, and 161 points all of which ranked second in the NAIA, while she finished third on the team with 27 caused turnovers and fourth on the team scooping 38 ground balls.  Ricchiazzi is no stranger to setting the standard as she became the program's all-time leader in points and with 422 and 158, respectively.  The junior closed out the year ranked second in program history for assists and points in season, while becoming just the third Patriot to surpass the century mark in goals for a season, joining multiple-time All-Americans Jaclyn Berry and Samantha Tullar.

"I'm grateful to receive this amazing honor," said Ricchiazzi.  "I don't evn know how to put into words how thankful to go to an amazing university that provides the student-athletes with the tools and support to excel in all facets of the student-athlete experience.  Thank you to my professors, family, teammates, and coaches because with out them none of this would be possible."

The Framingham, MA native dominant play on the field continues to garner her a slew of accolades. Ricchiazzi was named the 2022 NAIA Player of the Year and the 2022 Mid-South Conference Player of the Year, making her the second UC player to earn this distinction.  The junior is one of just two Patriots, along with Trinity Brown, that have been named NAIA All-American three times.  Over her stellar career, Ricchiazzi was named the 2021 MSC Offensive Player of the Year, while she has earned NAIA All-Tournament honors twice, a three time MSC First Team All-Conference selection, and was the 2019 MSC Freshman of the Year.   The junior has excelled in the classroom as well, being named a CoSIDA At-Large All-America twice, while be a three-time Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete and a three-time MSC Academic All-Conference selection. 

"Bella has always been one of our hardest worker not only on the field but in the classroom as well and epitomizes what it means to be student-athlete," said Head Coach Kelly Buikus. "She truly keeps a team first mentality and it's so nice to see her get this recognition. She has done so much for our program and I'm just so proud of Bella and she is so deserving of this award." 

Cumberlands finished with an 18-3 record on the year, which is the second most wins in a single season.  UC captured the Mid-South Conference North Division title for the second straight season, which also marked their fourth consecutive trip to the NAIA National Tournament. 

The junior was involved in some of the Patriots biggest moments on the season, including notching ten points and the game-winning goal in UC's 13-12 win over than top-ranked Keiser.  Ricchiazzi dished out seven assists and tallied a career-high 14 points against tenth-ranked Georgetown and became the Patriots career points leader in the second matchup against the Tigers.  In the MSC Tournament, Ricchiaizzi added three goals and five assists, including finding Carolina Johnson for the game-winning goal in the semifinals win over Life, before tallying ten points in the championship game.
  
The IWLCA Scholar-Athlete of the Year recognized the top student-athlete from across all three NCAA Divisions and the NAIA.  The individual must have at least a 3.5 cumulative GPA and be a starter or significant reserve for their team. This is the sixth time that the IWLCA has recognized an NAIA member

For the latest and most up-to-date information on University of the Cumberlands Athletics, please visit www.cumberlandspatriots.com. Follow us on Twitter- @UC_Patriots and @UCPatsGameday, Instagram- @UCPatriots, YouTube- Cumberlands Patriots, and Facebook by searching University of the Cumberlands Athletics.