NEW HAVEN, Conn. (December 10, 2024) – Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference on-field officials Dr. Jennifer Dumaine and Mark Lima are among the 16 inaugural recipients of the 2024 Division 2 Conference Commissioners Association Excellence in Officiating Awards. Dumaine, a soccer referee, and Lima, a baseball umpire, are the female and male honorees, respectively, from the East Region.
The Excellence in Officiating Awards represent a pioneering effort to recognize outstanding referees across NCAA Division II. The awards were presented to one male and one female official in each Division II championship region -- based on the gender of the official, regardless of the sport officiated – for making significant contributions to the advancement of officiating in Division II.
“Officials are of vital importance to the playing of our games,” said CACC Commissioner Dan Mara, who was the chair of the D2 CCA Awards Committee when the Excellence in Officiating Awards were conceived. “D2 CAA feels that it is time to recognize the best of the best. Dr. Dumaine and Mr. Lima were selected from a deep pool of officials.”
Dumaine has officiated soccer for 15 years in all three NCAA divisions and at the professional level. A National Intercollegiate Soccer Official Association Regional Referee of the Year winner, she has been invited to the Division III national semifinals. She is an NCAA National Referee and a U.S. Soccer National Assistant Referee. Dumaine obtained a Ph.D. degree from the University of Pennsylvania and teaches biology at West Point Academy.
Lima began umpiring college baseball in 2007. He umpired his first NCAA Tournament in 2016, the D-II East Regional at Franklin Pierce University, and was chosen to work the East Regional for the following three years as well. Lima was the crew chief for the 2019 NCAA D-II National Championship in Cary, N.C., and has also umpired in the Cape Cod League. Since 2017 he has been a College Baseball Umpires Assigners instructor. Lima is retired from a long career as a global account executive.
In addition to the Excellence in Officiating Awards initiative, the D2 CCA has launched Officials Appreciation Weeks to acknowledge officials across all sports seasons, and the Collegiate P2R (Player-to-Ref) Program which targets recently-graduated student-athletes about the rewarding opportunities in sports officiating. These strategic programs are aimed at transforming the landscape of sports officiating.
The Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its affiliation with NCAA Division II. Conference institutions compete for championships in 18 sports – eight for men, nine for women, and one co-ed. The CACC contains 12 members in Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Membership includes Bloomfield College of Montclair State University, the University of Bridgeport, Caldwell University, Chestnut Hill College, Dominican University New York, Felician University, Georgian Court University, Goldey-Beacom College, Holy Family University, Post University, Thomas Jefferson University, and Wilmington University.