Galloway, NJ – Stockton University women's lacrosse player
Olivia Paolillo (Freehold/Colts Neck) was selected for this year's SAAC Unsung Hero Award by the Stockton Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Paolillo was a four-year starter on defense for the Ospreys.
The SAAC Unsung Hero Award identifies an individual that has displayed the qualities that epitomize what it is to be an Osprey student-athlete on and off the field but may not be acknowledged for their contributions to the team by performance awards such as all-conference recognition.
Paolillo was described in her nomination, which was submitted by a teammate, as "the type of teammate that everyone can feel comfortable enough to ask questions and know that she will go out of her way to help them succeed."
The senior is further defined as someone who "would do everything that she could to make her teammates smile and enjoy their time together" and a player whose contributions to the team "exceed any expectations because she always puts the team first."
Paolillo exhibited her leadership and support from a distance while missing two weeks of the 2021 season, including the opening game. She returned to play the remaining eight matches and start seven of them, totaling seven ground balls and six caused turnovers to help the Ospreys to a 4-5 record and a berth in the NJAC Tournament semifinals.
For her career, Paolillo was a two-year captain who played in 46 games with 41 starts. The defender scooped 42 ground balls, caused 24 turnovers and grabbed seven draw controls. Paolillo dished a pair of assists at the offensive end as well.
Paolillo also led by example in the classroom, producing a 3.81 grade point average as a Public Relations major at Stockton. She was a four-year Dean's List qualifier who earned admission to the National Society of Leadership and Success plus the Public Relations Student Society of America.
Paolillo also was a three-time NJAC All-Academic Honorable Mention performer prior to obtaining her bachelor's degree from Stockton this spring.
