West Babylon, N.Y. - On Thursday afternoon, the East Coast Conference announced its three recipients for the annual John Smillie, Jr. Award. This year's honorees include Tara Hagan of the St. Thomas Aquinas Softball team.

The award, named in honor of Athletic Trainer at former ECC member NYIT, John Smillie, Jr., who passed away after battling cancer, is given annually to a student-athlete or student-athletes who have overcome personal or physical challenges and hardships to pursue their intercollegiate athletic careers.

Tara Hagan
St. Thomas Aquinas | Senior | New City, N.Y. | First Base

After feeling something wrong while working as a Westchester County park ranger last summer, St. Thomas Aquinas softball senior first baseman Tara Hagan had open heart surgery on September 19, 2023. She woke up 19 hours later after a successful procedure, and remained in the hospital until October 2. Doctors were unsure if she was going to be able to take the field again, but on January 19, 2024, exactly four months since her surgery and two weeks before STAC’s season opener, Hagan was fully cleared for action… and she enjoyed her best collegiate season yet, hitting .290 with a .355 slugging percentage, 11 doubles, and 29 runs batted in in 55 games played. 

2023-24 ECC JOHN SMILLIE, JR. AWARD RELEASE