WALTHAM, Mass. – Junior Amy Varsell (Burlington, Conn./Lewis S. Mills HS), Bentley University's standout middle distance runner, has been named the Division II East Region Women's Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

It's the latest in a long list of accolades for the five-time Northeast-10 Conference champion and three-time Division II All-America. She received the same honor following the indoor season, and has also been recognized with the Northeast-10 Women's Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year and the NE-10's Scholar-Athlete Sports Excellence Award for Indoor Track for her athletic and academic prowess.

Varsell, who'll be representing Bentley next week at the NCAA Division II Championships in Pueblo, Colo., owns the fourth best 800-meter time in Division II this season, 2:09.46, and also ranks in the top 20 in Division II in the 1500 (4:30.17). Both rank number one in the East Region this season and both are also Bentley records.

Varsell's outdoor season has included capturing both the 800 and 1500 championships at the Northeast-10 Championships and placing third in the 800 at the New Englands, breaking the school record she set at the 2011 NCAA Championships by 1.61 seconds.

During her career, Varsell has broken a school record about 20 times and earned NE-10 Runner of the Week honors seven times. She placed fourth in the 800 at the both the indoor and outdoor NCAA Championships as a sophomore, and was third in the 800 in the indoor NCAAs this past March.