Peggy Boutilier Named NCAA Woman of the Year
Story Links
October 18, 1998
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Peggy Boutilier (Baltimore, Md/Roland Park Country) was named the NCAA Woman of the Year at an awards dinner tonight in Indianapolis. This award, which honors academic and athletics excellence as well as community service and leadership, was given for the eighth time in a special ceremony tonight. Boutilier, who was named the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches’ Association National Player of the Year (Defense) for the second year in a row in 1998, was one of 51 state finalists who was in attendance at tonight’s dinner. This is the first time that a University of Virginia athlete has been so honored.
The NCAA Woman of the Year Award honors outstanding female
student-athletes who have excelled in academics, athletics, and community leadership. Boutilier was named the ACC Player of the Year for lacrosse and the Virginia Female Athlete of the Year. Currently a member of the United States national lacrosse team, Boutilier was the team MVP for both field hockey and lacrosse, as both squads reached the #1 ranking and were the nation’s leaders in scoring defense. Boutilier has also been honored with the Virginia Athletic Department’s Ralph Sampson Scholarship for 1997-98 and is the recipient of the University’s Gray-Carrington Scholarship for the 1998-99 academic year. The Gray-Carrington Scholarship recognizes a
Virginia student who excels in areas of personal integrity, achievement, leadership, and humility. She was selected to live on Virginia’s “Lawn” and is the recipient of both the Athletic Department’s Ernest Ern Award for outstanding contributions to student life and the Outstanding Student-Athlete Mentor Award. Boutilier was named the ECAC Scholar-Athlete of the year for 1997-98 and is a recipient of ACC’s Weaver-James Corrigan
Scholarship. Boutilier also has received a National Association of College Directors of Athletics Preseason Games Scholarship and was named a GTE Academic All-American in both 1996-97 and 1997-98.
Boutilier, a senior from Baltimore, Maryland, led the Cavaliers in goals scored (37) and ground ball pickups (79) in helping the Cavaliers reach the title game in the NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Championship for the second time in Boutilier’s career. Although she is primarily a defensive player, having also been named the National Defensive Player of the Year in
1997, Boutilier exploded offensively in 1998, scoring a career-high 37 goals. Boutilier also recorded two games in which she scored a career-high five goals, including against then-#2 and undefeated Princeton and then-#6 James Madison. Her 42 points on the season is a career high. Boutilier did not lose any of her defensive prowess as she still anchored a Cavalier defense that ranked first in the county in scoring defense, allowing only 6.00 goals per game. Boutilier also ranked third at Virginia in caused turnovers and draw controls.
Boutilier was also named to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference tournament team in 1998 as the Cavaliers captured the ACC title for the first time in school history. Her selection to the All-Conference team was her second such selection in the two years the conference has sponsored a
team. She set a school record with her 71st consecutive start, which she reached in the national championship game. The 71 games also stands as the record for most games played in a career. She already holds the record for consecutive starts and games played in field hockey with 88. She was also a first-team All-American in 1997.
Currently, Boutilier is pursuing a master’s degree in the Five Year Teacher Education Program at the University of Virginia’s Curry School of Education.