Lia Thomas, Brooke Forde Among 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year Nominees
NCAA champion Lia Thomas and American Olympian Brooke Forde were among the nominees for the 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year, released Thursday.
Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
The duo is among 577 graduating student-athletes in Division I, II and III nominated for the award. Schools nominate their athletes for the award, and conferences select up to two from each school. The preliminary list will be narrowed down to 10 athletes from each division, 30 in total. The Woman of the Year award was created in 1991, honoring “female student-athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves in their community, in athletics and in academics throughout their college careers.” This year’s class of nominees coincides with the 50th anniversary of Title IX.
The 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year will be named at the NCAA Convention in January 2023 in San Antonio, Texas.
Among the nominees are 50 aquatic athletes, with 46 swimmers and five water polo players (one, UC San Diego’s Ciara Franke, does both).
Some of the most notable nominees are:
- Thomas, the NCAA champion in the 500 free and a transgender woman who was the subject of controversy throughout the season.
- Forde, a Stanford grad who won a silver medal in the 800 freestyle relay at the Tokyo Olympics.
- Sarah Bacon, a five-time NCAA champion diver at the University of Minnesota
- Delaney Schnell, a diver at the University of Arizona who won a silver medal for the United States at the Tokyo Olympics in the 10-meter synchro
- Emily Sweet, the Bentley swimmer nominated for the Honda Inspiration Award
- Crile Hart of Kenyon, a Honda Award Finalist in Division III
The list of aquatics nominees are below, and the full list is available here.
NCAA Woman of the Year Nominees
Division I
- Sarah Bacon, University of Minnesota, Big Ten
- Autumn D’Arcy, Cal State Bakersfield, Mountain Pacific Sports Federation
- Hanna Everhart, Duquesne, Atlantic 10
- Brooke Forde, Stanford, Pac-12
- Ciara Franke, UC San Diego, Big West (also water polo)
- Riley Gaines, Kentucky, SEC
- Sara Gendron, Bryant, Northeast Conference
- Sydney Harrington, Navy, Patriot League
- Elena Kotanchyan, Long Beach State, Big West (water polo)
- Susan Elizabeth LaGrand, Oakland, Horizon League
- Kara McCurdy, Providence, Big East
- Anna Metzler, New Hampshire, America East
- Madelyn Moore, University of Northern Carolina, Western Athletic Conference
- Emily Nicholson, Fresno State, Golden Coast Conference (water polo)
- Emma Nordin, Arizona State, Pac-12
- Felicia Pasadyn, Harvard, Ivy League
- Kathryn Power, Houston, AAC
- Tara Prentice, UC-Irvine, Big West (water polo)
- Mariana Roge Ferreira Duarte, University of the Pacific, Golden Coast Conference (water polo)
- Delaney Schnell, Arizona, Pac-12
- Sienna Senn, Davidson, Atlantic 10
- Kate Steward, Kansas, Big 12
- Camryn Streid, Cincinnati, AAC
- Lia Thomas, Penn, Ivy League
- Sarah Thompson, Missouri, SEC
- Georgia Vargas, Siena, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (water polo)
Division II
- Kaitlyn Agger, Wingate University, South Atlantic Conference
- Savannah Brennan, Florida Institute of Technology, Sunshine State Conference
- Johanna Buys, University of Indianapolis, Great Lakes Valley Conference
- Elizabeth Caird, Saginaw Valley State, Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
- Anna Miram, Wingate University, South Atlantic Conference
- Grace Sill, Florida Southern, Sunshine State Conference
- Emily Sweet, Bentley, Northeast-10
- Kayla Tennant, Queens University of Charlotte, South Atlantic Conference
Division III
- Claudia Barnett, Washington & Lee, Old Dominion Athletic Conference
- Zoe Chan, College of New Jersey, New Jersey Athletic Conference
- Molly Craig, Williams College, New England Small College Athletic Conference
- Lydia DaCorte, Wheaton (Mass.) College, New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference
- Maddie Ford, Connecticut College, New England Small College Athletic Conference
- Ellen Gilbert, Illinois Wesleyan, College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin
- Clio Hancock, Emory, University Athletic Association
- Mary Hufziger, Tufts, New England Small College Athletic Conference
- Macy Klein, St. Catherine, Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
- Sophie Lear, Ursinus, Centennial Conference
- Drew Lei-Alerta, Sarah Lawrence, Skyline Conference
- Madelynn Marunde, Augustana (Ill.) College, College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin
- Emmerson Ann Mirus, Kenyon, North Coast Athletic Conference
- Kathryn Murphy, Mount Holyoke, New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference
- Valery Piachonkina, Austin College, College Water Polo Association (water polo)
- Anna Pilecky, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
- Jesse Stovall, Southwestern (Texas) University, Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference
- Jessica Touve, Bridgewater (Va.) College, Old Dominion Athletic Conference
So a man who took hormones to suppress his male development at the age of 19 is now a woman. Hahhahahahahaa!!!!!!! The stupidity of this is so amazing to me. Even if he’s not a record-breaking swimmer, he’s still edging actual women out of their opportunities for scholarships and awards.
Beyond offensive at this point
And they are supposed to be searching for truth at colleges and universities. Not doing very well on that one if you can’t tell the difference between a man and a woman. You can’t write satire anymore because the reality is too unbelievable.
i encourage everyone to send an email to the NCAA to complain. This is a deliberate attempt to normalize such blatant unfairness and give the false impression that those of us who think it is intolerable (esp. young women) are the odd ones out. No, we’re not.
Simply disgusting.
As a male athlete, I’d like to apologize to all women athletes who are getting utterly hosed by this lunacy. What on earth are we doing?
Literally HOSED !!!!
He’s a man.
This just makes women furiously angry. Why is this madness encouraged? It harms gender non conforming boys by letting them think they have to ‘become girls’ in order to be ‘accepted’ and it harms young women who have to see men take their places in sport and awards. The world is already undeniably set up for men to have it all, they now get to own the word woman as well?!
One would think you would be disqualified from competing against women, if not because you are a man, but then because you have a rudder.
What is wrong with these people. HE is male, just because you WANT to be a woman doesn’t mean you biologically are one.
No transgender deserves a woman or male of the year award. The biological women have worked hard for this honor. Lia Thomas was a male through the puberty changes of life and has an unfair advantage over biological women.
It will get to the point that young girls say why should i even bother ? Hours n hours training , working out , juggling academics n sports , trying to succeed and be the best among women…… then a MALE ( that was mediocre as a male athlete) waltzes in saying “ I’m a woman inside” has an obvious advantage , winning all the games, meets , awards , scholarships. WOMEN YOU MUST FIGHT BACK NOW !!!!!! PARENTS OF FEMALE ATHLETES SPEAK OUT !!!!!
Still a male. Will always be a male.
These college women HAVE to STAND UP AGAINST this ridiculousness. William Thomas SHOULD NOT be up for “WOMAN of the YEAR” ….. THATS. A. MAN. I get it, you stand up – your cancelled, ostracized, called transphobic before your life even begins after college. But these young women need to band together and say NO MORE!!!!!
Thomas was ranked #462 in NCAA when swimming as a male. Transferring to the women’s team and Thomas is suddenly #1. What’s wrong with this picture? Identities don’t play sports, bodies do, and men will always have an inherent advantage. Why did we fight for Title IX if we’re going to allow male bodies in our sports? It’s insane. Women are being kicked to the curb again. Yeah, we’re used to being told to sit down and shut up. It’s wrong! Savewomenssports.com
What a disgrace!
This BS will continue until November when Republicans take back The House and Senate! This is beyond the pale!
let him swim at olympic trials…….he would get smoked…..maybe he can date bruce jenner…..or join the wnba?????…..
What is the best woman? A man… Yep…
Stop it already! They are a transitioned male not a woman.
Transitioned into what? he’s still a male.
rooting for all the biological female nominees 🙂 good luck ladies