Hayton Nominated for NCAA Woman of the Year
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Breanna Hayton is one of the most accomplished student-athletes in the history of the University of Miami, but the recent graduate has a chance to do something no Hurricane ever has.
A standout rower, Hayton was one of 446 nominees for the 2014 NCAA Woman of the Year Award. She is one of only two nominees from the ACC, joined by Duke’s Juliet Bottorff. No Hurricane has ever been selected as the NCAA Woman of the Year and no rower has ever been tapped as the recipient of the prestigious award.
The NCAA established the Woman of the Year Award in 1991 to celebrate the achievements of women in intercollegiate athletics. Now in its 23rd year, the award is unique because it recognizes not only the athletics achievements of outstanding young women but also their academic achievements, community service and leadership.
NCAA member institutions from all three divisions nominated their own woman of the year. To be eligible, these women must have competed and earned a varsity letter in an NCAA-sponsored sport and must have completed eligibility in their primary sport.
Hayton is a strong nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year as she was a model student-athlete in her four years at the University of Miami.
A native of Victoria, B.C., Hayton excelled in the classroom and on the water with Miami’s rowing team. She also gave back to her fellow athletes, serving as an ACC representative on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
Hayton was an academic standout, earning distinction on the Dean’s List (3.5 GPA), Athletic Director Honor Roll (3.2 GPA) and the Provost’s Honor Roll (3.75 GPA). One of six Hurricanes student-athletes listed in Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges for 2014, Hayton graduated cum laude, earning her bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering.
“It’s exciting and it’s something you been working for all along,” Hayton said of earning her degree. “It’s also really exciting because you see all these different doors opening.”
The senior sat in the stroke seat of Miami’s 1V8+ at the 2014 ACC Rowing Championship. Following her final regatta as a Hurricane, Hayton was named second team All-ACC and second team All-Region by the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association.
“It’s been a very interesting experience,” Hayton said of her time at Miami. “I didn’t really know what to expect coming in, especially not being as involved in a U.S. college sports team. I started with my eyes wide open, taking everything in. We’ve seen a lot of changes. I think we had around 10 girls when I first started and our team has grown a lot since then. It was a really solid team over the four years and it’s been a great experience watching the girls come together.”
Hayton was a leader on the water, in the classroom and around the athletic department and she was recognized by both her coaches and the athletic department for all that she has done for the University of Miami.
Miami’s rowing coaching staff tapped Hayton as the 2014 recipient of the Iron Oar. Inspired by Miami’s Iron Arrow honor society, the Iron Oar is presented to someone who embodies the following mantra: “She who would know the oar, must as an irrefutable rule, have openly and without thought of reward, show obvious love for team and boat speed.”
In recognition of all she has accomplished, as well as given back to the University of Miami, Hayton was named the recipient of the 2013-14 Female Service Award. She was one of seven recipients of the 2013-14 University of Miami Student-Athlete Awards.
“I think a lot of it is enjoying what you do,” Hayton said of finding time to give back. “If you love what you do, if you have a passion for what you do, then you don’t mind spending the time and you’re a lot more excited when you do spend the time so its not draining you out. If you have 15 minutes in the middle of the day, you use those 15 minutes, get an extra chapter in or catch 15 minutes of sleep. You try not to have any dull space in the day.”
With her collegiate athletic career complete, Hayton will look to join the engineering work force. She plans to one day return to school and earn her master’s degree before ultimately reaching her goal of becoming an aircraft investigator.
“I’m trying to get into everything from mechanical to airspace looking into manufacturing all the way through to specific design in aerospace,” Hayton said. “It’s a whole new world, city, country possibly. There is a lot of excitement. Eventually, I want to go back and get my master’s. But the goal at the end of the day is to go into aircraft investigation in terms of crashes”
Hayton is a three-time All-ACC selection in rowing and earned second team All-Region honors following the 2012-13 and the 2013-14 seasons. The most decorated collegiate rower on the 2013-14 Hurricanes, she feels the University of Miami provided the perfect combination of academics and athletics.
“I think Miami was a great combination,” Hayton said. “My first criteria were that it had to have the program that I wanted in terms of academics and then rowing just came along with it. I met Coach Carter at the time and he drew me in. He explained everything that was going on at that time. Everything just seemed like a good fit.”
Though she does not know where her career will take her, Hayton knows the University of Miami will always hold a special place in her heart.
“The University has given me so many opportunities in academics and athletics,” Hayton said. “I will always be proud to say I represented ‘The U.’ I’ll definitely come back and visit.”
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