Lancaster, Pa. - The Atlantic East Conference announced the league's Woman of the Year on Wednesday, naming Centenary University’s Jenna Glinko the recipient of the award. 

The Woman of the Year award is presented to one female student-athlete who combined superior academic and athletic achievement during their career thus far. The successful candidate(s) must have competed in an Atlantic East-sponsored championship sport from a full-member institution. For full award criteria, see here.

Glinko, a rising senior on Centenary's softball team, appeared in 30 games and made 28 starts as the designated player (she also started behind the plate in a couple of games) in 2022. She hit a team-best .407 with 14 RBIs, six doubles and four runs scored. In her career, she has played in 57 games and made 55 starts playing primarily as the DP. She has hit at least .310 in each of her first three seasons and has hit
over .400 in two of those three seasons. Glinko has 38 career RBIs for the Cyclones.

Glinko earned First Team All-Atlantic East accolades this spring as the DP. She helped the Cyclones make the Atlantic East Tournament in their first season in the league with a key doubleheader sweep of Gwynedd Mercy in their final conference doubleheader of the year. She also earned All-CSAC Honorable Mention as the DP as a sophomore.

The junior was named CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team in District II as well as Academic All-America this spring. She is a member of the Delta Alpha Phi Honors Society and has been a Dean’s List student in every semester on campus so far as a finance, data analytics and social media marketing major. Glinko maintains a 3.99 GPA.

Jenna Glinko is a key member of the Centenary Athletic Communications Work Study Staff, serving as one of the department’s photographers and doing a clock or stats when needed. She is President of Centenary University’s Enactus Chapter, which is an international social entrepreneurship organization focused on using the power of entrepreneurial action to transform lives. She is part of the First Year Leader Group on campus and has mentored 58 first year students to date both academically and socially. She is also the student representative to the University’s Alumni Association.

Jenna's Time At Centenary: 
 
"Being an athlete and highly involved leader on campus has allowed me to grow both professionally and personally in my three short years at Centenary. Throughout my experiences, I have been exposed to many different people, each with their own unique learning styles and ways of communicating. This has made me develop into a more empathetic and understanding person/leader. Since working with so many others in
college, I have learned to listen to and truly appreciate people’s unique perspectives, which are often different from my own. By hearing what others think, my teams and I have been able to create environments focused on collaboration and development, with goals of bettering ourselves both inside and out of our respective work areas.

Centenary academics and athletics integrates giving back to the community into our daily activities. Since my freshman year, I have made lunches at Trinity Church for the homeless, picked up trash throughout our local community on Earth Day, captured photos at a special needs prom, and taught little girls how to play softball, to name a few. Volunteering has become an integral part of who I am as a person and has truly
influenced my life.

Being a highly involved member of my school and softball team has not only strengthened my communication skills and given me a greater personal confidence, but most importantly, developed my character to make me a better person overall."