Courtesy: NCAA
From 535 school nominees, 153 college athletes have been named conference-level nominees for the 2021 NCAA Woman of the Year Award.
Established in 1991, the NCAA Woman of the Year award is rooted in Title IX and recognizes graduating female college athletes who have exhausted their NCAA eligibility and distinguished themselves in academics, athletics, service and leadership throughout their collegiate careers.
The nominees represent student-athletes from 18 different sports spanning all three NCAA divisions. Of those nominated, 57 nominees competed in Division I, 36 in Division II and 60 in Division III.
Conferences can recognize two nominees if at least one is a woman of color or international student-athlete. All nominees who compete in a sport not sponsored by their school’s primary conference, as well as associate conference nominees and independent nominees, were placed in a separate pool to be considered by a selection committee. Three nominees from the pool were selected to move forward in the process with the conference nominees.
The Woman of the Year Selection Committee, made up of representatives from the NCAA membership, will now choose the Top 30 honorees – 10 from each division – from the conference-level nominees. The Top 30 honorees will be announced in September. The selection committee will determine the top three honorees in each division from the Top 30, and the nine finalists will be announced this fall. From those nine finalists, the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics then will choose the 2021 NCAA Woman of the Year.
2021 Conference Nominees:
| NOMINEE | SCHOOL | DIVISION | CONFERENCE | SPORTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Obiageri Amaechi | Princeton University | Division I | The Ivy League | Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Infinity Anderson | Virginia State University | Division II | Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association | Volleyball |
| Isabelle Aragon-Menzel | Colorado College | Division III | Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference | Volleyball |
| Sara Arbogast | Susquehanna University | Division III | Landmark Conference | Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Sara Aringsmann | Wingate University | Division II | Independent | Swimming and Diving |
| Chloe Arnold | University of Tennessee at Chattanooga | Division I | Southern Conference | Soccer |
| Katie Bacher | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Division III | New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference | Cross Country, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Ariane Ballner | Oklahoma State University | Division I | Big 12 Conference | Cross Country, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Rachel Bamford | Sacred Heart University | Division I | Northeast Conference | Bowling |
| Bria Beale | University of Hawaii at Hilo | Division II | Pacific West Conference | Volleyball |
| Brittney Beetcher | University at Buffalo, the State University of New York | Division I | Mid-American Conference | Swimming and Diving |
| Lena van Bergen | Purdue University Northwest | Division II | Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | Tennis |
| Courtney Berry | Washington and Lee University | Division III | Old Dominion Athletic Conference | Volleyball |
| Mikayla Bisignani | Johns Hopkins University | Division III | Independent | Outdoor Track and Field, Swimming and Diving |
| Ayana Blair | Illinois Wesleyan University | Division III | College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin | Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Abigail Bottomley | High Point University | Division I | Big South Conference | Volleyball |
| Araion Bradshaw | University of Dayton | Division I | Atlantic 10 Conference | Basketball |
| Kailyn Brandt | Washington College (Maryland) | Division III | Centennial Conference | Field Hockey |
| Haley Brown | California State University, Fullerton | Division I | Big West Conference | Soccer |
| Kylie Burke | Webster University | Division III | St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | Volleyball |
| Ashlan Burton | University of Central Missouri | Division II | Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association | Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Fern Calkins | University of Maine, Farmington | Division III | North Atlantic Conference | Soccer |
| Annika Canaba | Sul Ross State University | Division III | American Southwest Conference | Softball, Volleyball |
| Alice Cato | North Central University | Division III | Upper Midwest Athletic Conference | Basketball, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Elena Ceja | Alfred University | Division III | Empire 8 | Softball |
| Nicole Ceraso | Monmouth University | Division I | Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference | Lacrosse |
| Hannah Chao | Calvin University | Division III | Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association | Swimming and Diving |
| Rutendo Chimbaru | DePaul University | Division I | Big East Conference | Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Lauren Coleman | Towson University | Division I | Colonial Athletic Association | Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Kendall Cornick | Augustana University (South Dakota) | Division II | Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference | Softball |
| Madison Coughlin | Massachusetts Maritime Academy | Division III | Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference | Softball, Volleyball |
| Eleanor Crane | Averett University | Division III | USA South Athletic Conference | Tennis |
| Anna Curran | Brooklyn College | Division III | City University of New York Athletic Conference | Softball, Soccer, Swimming and Diving |
| Jolene Daninger | DePaul University | Division I | Big East Conference | Basketball |
| Kristin Dean | Centre College | Division III | Southern Athletic Association | Soccer |
| Chelsie DePonte | Stony Brook University | Division I | America East Conference | Soccer |
| Stefani Deschner | University of Notre Dame | Division I | Atlantic Coast Conference | Fencing |
| Shannon Devitt | The College of New Jersey | Division III | New Jersey Athletic Conference | Basketball |
| Jessica Diaz | California Lutheran University | Division III | Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | Water Polo |
| Brenna Camille Dolen | University of Redlands | Division III | Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Cora Duininck | Liberty University | Division I | ASUN Conference | Soccer |
| Ashton Duncan | Lubbock Christian University | Division II | Lone Star Conference | Basketball |
| Gillian Edgar | Seattle Pacific University | Division II | Great Northwest Athletic Conference | Rowing |
| Allison Eikenberry | Cornell College | Division III | Midwest Conference | Volleyball |
| Favor Ezewuzie | Wheaton College (Illinois) | Division III | College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin | Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Sydney Fisher | Radford University | Division I | Big South Conference | Softball |
| Alexandra Fontes | Juniata College | Division III | Landmark Conference | Swimming and Diving |
| Katherine Frascella | Alfred State College | Division III | Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference | Cross Country, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Justine Glass | University of Montevallo | Division II | Gulf South Conference | Cross Country, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Salma Gonzalez | Coppin State University | Division I | Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference | Volleyball |
| Emma Griffith | University of Chicago | Division III | University Athletic Association | Volleyball |
| Shelby Gunnells | North Dakota State University | Division I | The Summit League | Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Gabrielle Haack | Bradley University | Division I | Missouri Valley Conference | Basketball |
| Carley Hale | Southern Arkansas University | Division II | Great American Conference | Cross Country, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Kristin Hallam | Hofstra University | Division I | Colonial Athletic Association | Softball |
| Meredith Hamby | The University of North Carolina at Charlotte | Division I | Conference USA | Soccer |
| Tiffany Hanna | Wagner College | Division I | Northeast Conference | Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Jalyn Hayes | California State University, San Bernardino | Division II | California Collegiate Athletic Association | Volleyball |
| Grace Hearth | Alma College | Division III | Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association | Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Madison Heck | Georgian Court University | Division II | Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference | Lacrosse |
| Allison Heinzer | Lewis University | Division II | Great Lakes Valley Conference | Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Josie Herrmann | Concordia College, Moorhead | Division III | Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | Cross Country, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Valerie Higgins | University of the Pacific | Division I | West Coast Conference | Basketball |
| Naomi Hill | North Central College | Division III | College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin | Triathlon |
| Olivia Hoj | Brigham Young University | Division I | West Coast Conference | Cross Country, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Sage Hurta | University of Colorado, Boulder | Division I | Pac-12 Conference | Cross Country, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Julia Ingram | University of Tampa | Division II | Sunshine State Conference | Basketball |
| Alison Johnson | Adelphi University | Division II | Northeast-10 Conference | Lacrosse |
| Eka Jose | Washington University in St. Louis | Division III | University Athletic Association | Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Valda Kabia | West Texas A&M University | Division II | Lone Star Conference | Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Giuliana Kevlin | New England College | Division III | New England Collegiate Conference | Field Hockey, Lacrosse |
| Samantha Kirk | Davis & Elkins College | Division II | Mountain East Conference | Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Abigail Knapton | University of Nebraska, Lincoln | Division I | Big Ten Conference | Swimming and Diving |
| Julia Lanctot | Colby-Sawyer College | Division III | Great Northeast Athletic Conference | Field Hockey |
| Candise Lockett | University of Mount Olive | Division II | Conference Carolinas | Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Olivia Lohmeier | Morehead State University | Division I | Ohio Valley Conference | Beach Volleyball, Volleyball |
| Kaelyn Long | Bucknell University | Division I | Patriot League | Field Hockey |
| Alyssa Longaker | Austin College | Division III | Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference | Basketball |
| Jessica Lopez | Haverford College | Division III | Centennial Conference | Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Madelyn Lundberg | Grand Canyon University | Division I | Western Athletic Conference | Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| McKenna Lupori | Alabama State University | Division I | Southwestern Athletic Conference | Soccer |
| Avery Maillet | The City College of New York | Division III | City University of New York Athletic Conference | Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Taylor Malasek | University of North Georgia | Division II | Peach Belt Conference | Soccer |
| Sydney Marchando | Colorado School of Mines | Division II | Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference | Softball |
| Hannah Markel | University of Cincinnati | Division I | American Athletic Conference | Cross Country, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Tori Martell | Montana State University-Bozeman | Division I | Big Sky Conference | Basketball |
| Ully Martins | Mars Hill University | Division II | South Atlantic Conference | Volleyball |
| Bria Matthews | Georgia Institute of Technology | Division I | Atlantic Coast Conference | Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Tiffany McBrayer | Sarah Lawrence College | Division III | Skyline Conference | Soccer, Softball |
| Abigail McPhillips | University of California, Santa Cruz | Division III | Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference | Outdoor Track and Field |
| Cynthia Mejia | California State University, Stanislaus | Division II | California Collegiate Athletic Association | Cross Country, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Petra Melounova | University of Hawaii, Manoa | Division I | Big West Conference | Tennis |
| Claire Meyers | University of Louisiana at Lafayette | Division I | Sun Belt Conference | Outdoor Track and Field |
| Rachel Miller | Ashland University | Division II | Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Mekayla Montgomery | Hobart and William Smith Colleges | Division III | Liberty League | Lacrosse |
| Ida Meli Narbuvoll | University of Mary | Division II | Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference | Cross Country, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Anett Nemeth | Coastal Carolina University | Division I | Sun Belt Conference | Volleyball |
| Manuela Nicolini | Fairfield University | Division I | Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference | Volleyball |
| Clare O’Brien | Boise State University | Division I | Mountain West Conference | Cross Country, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Ane Olaeta | California Baptist University | Division I | Western Athletic Conference | Basketball |
| Oyesade Olatoye | The Ohio State University | Division I | Big Ten Conference | Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Jordan Olenginski | Saint Joseph’s University | Division I | Atlantic 10 Conference | Field Hockey |
| Maja Ornberg | Florida Gulf Coast University | Division I | ASUN Conference | Tennis |
| Ghazal Pakbaten | Concordia University Irvine | Division II | Pacific West Conference | Tennis |
| Megan Palmer | Keene State College | Division III | Little East Conference | Volleyball |
| Brooklyn Pannell | University of Charleston (West Virginia) | Division II | Mountain East Conference | Basketball |
| Jenna Pannone | University of New England | Division III | Commonwealth Coast Conference | Soccer |
| Megan Parker | Westminster College (Pennsylvania) | Division III | Presidents’ Athletic Conference | Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Stefanie Parsons | Edinboro University of Pennsylvania | Division II | Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference | Cross Country, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Eva Pet | Wheaton College (Massachusetts) | Division III | New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference | Swimming and Diving |
| Jade Piper | University of the Incarnate Word | Division I | Southland Conference | Soccer |
| Clare Polis | Marymount University (Virginia) | Division III | Atlantic East Conference | Cross Country, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Emily Pomainville | State University of New York at Geneseo | Division III | State University of New York Athletic Conference | Cross Country, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Nazirah Purnell | Lincoln University (Pennsylvania) | Division II | Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association | Cross Country, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| JoAnnie Ramos | The University of Southern Mississippi | Division I | Conference USA | Soccer |
| Maggie Riermann | Bethel University (Minnesota) | Division III | Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | Tennis |
| Celine Ritter | Lee University | Division II | Gulf South Conference | Cross Country, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Rachel Ann Rocha | St. Joseph’s College (Brooklyn) | Division III | Skyline Conference | Soccer |
| Clara Roth | Princeton University | Division I | The Ivy League | Field Hockey |
| Lindsey Ruderman | Amherst College | Division III | New England Small College Athletic Conference | Swimming and Diving |
| Stephanie Rundlett | Morgan State University | Division I | Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference | Softball |
| Savannah Rygiewicz | University of Wisconsin-La Crosse | Division III | Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Mahina Sauer | Southern Nazarene University | Division II | Great American Conference | Softball |
| Jordan Sauve | University of Northwestern-St. Paul | Division III | Upper Midwest Athletic Conference | Basketball |
| Christina Sawyer | Hillsdale College | Division II | Great Midwest Athletic Conference | Cross Country, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Virgi Scardanzan | Washburn University | Division II | Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association | Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Samantha Schattin | Stevens Institute of Technology | Division III | Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom | Softball |
| Fabienne Schmidt | Austin Peay State University | Division I | Ohio Valley Conference | Tennis |
| Bella Shivley | Otterbein University | Division III | Ohio Athletic Conference | Soccer |
| Avery Skinner | University of Kentucky | Division I | Southeastern Conference | Volleyball |
| Emily Smatlak | Anderson University (Indiana) | Division III | Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference | Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Kayla Smith | University of Georgia | Division I | Southeastern Conference | Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Jenna Taylor | Simpson College | Division III | American Rivers Conference | Basketball |
| Brigitte Thibault | California State University, Fresno | Division I | Mountain West Conference | Golf |
| Teresa Toscano | South Dakota State University | Division I | The Summit League | Golf |
| Emily Trotman | St. John Fisher College | Division III | Empire 8 | Softball |
| Emma VanDeCar | Stevenson University | Division III | Middle Atlantic Conferences | Golf |
| Zenoviah Walker | Transylvania University | Division III | Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference | Basketball |
| Kelley Wandell | Maryville College (Tennessee) | Division III | USA South Athletic Conference | Basketball, Volleyball |
| Atlantis Warren | East Tennessee State University | Division I | Southern Conference | Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Kayla Wedl | University of Illinois Chicago | Division I | Horizon League | Softball |
| Hannah White | Jackson State University | Division I | Southwestern Athletic Conference | Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Kayla White | Metropolitan State University of Denver | Division II | Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference | Volleyball |
| Mariah White | Cleveland State University | Division I | Horizon League | Basketball |
| Samantha Williams | Iowa State University | Division I | Big 12 Conference | Softball |
| Simone Elise Wilson | Concordia University Chicago | Division III | Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference | Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Lauren Wilson | Pacific Lutheran University | Division III | Northwest Conference | Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field, Volleyball |
| Ali Wilson | Lakeland University | Division III | Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference | Golf |
| Logan Witt | Queens University of Charlotte | Division II | South Atlantic Conference | Volleyball |
| Megan Wong | Denison University | Division III | North Coast Athletic Conference | Golf |
| Ashton Woods | Southern Methodist University | Division I | American Athletic Conference | Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Jami Wright | Southern Wesleyan University | Division II | Conference Carolinas | Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Irisa Ye | University of the Sciences | Division II | Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference | Basketball |
Media Contact