The announcement of the 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year keeps edging closer as the NCAA has whittled down the nominees to 30 woman–10 from each of the three NCAA division. These 30 women represent 13 different sports and a variety of undergraduate majors, including biology, accounting, criminal justice, education, engineering, and computer science.
Each of the nominees demonstrated excellence in the following categories: academics, athletics, community service, and leadership.
Sarah Hebberd, chair of the Woman of the Year selection committee and director of compliance at the University of Georgia, noted,
This year’s top 30 honorees have achieved remarkable things during their time in college. They are model student-athletes for generations of young women to come, and we are immeasurably proud of their accomplishments.
The selection committee will continue to narrow the finalist field as they announce the final nine–three from each division–in late September. From those nine finalists, the NCAA committee will then announce the 2016 Woman of the Year on October 16th in a ceremony in Indianapolis.
| Name | Div. | School | Conference | Sport(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acker, Rachael | I | University of California, Berkeley | Pac-12 Conference | Swimming and Diving |
| Balinskas, Tracey | II | Molloy College | East Coast Conference | Softball |
| Blazing, Lauren | I | Duke University | Atlantic Coast Conference | Field Hockey |
| Bombardier, Rachel | III | Castleton University | North Athletic Conference | Ice Hockey, Lacrosse |
| Chappell-Dick, Hannah | III | Eastern Mennonite University | Old Dominion Athletic Conference | Cross Country, Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field |
| Coyne, Kendall | I | Northeastern University | Colonial Athletic Association | Ice Hockey |
| Ellis-Watson, Taylor | I | University of Arkansas, Fayetteville | Southeastern Conference | Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field |
| Guo, Margaret | III | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference | Swimming and Diving |
| Hillman, Christina | I | Iowa State University | Big 12 Conference | Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field |
| Kahnweiler, Kim | III | Bowdoin College | New England Small College Athletic Conference | Field Hockey |
| Kiblinger, Elizabeth | II | Maryville University of St. Louis | Great Lakes Valley Conference | Cross Country, Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field |
| Kuhnen, Maia | II | Clayton State University | Peach Belt Conference | Cross Country, Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field, Soccer |
| Leeper, Bri | II | West Texas A&M University | Lone Star Conference | Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field |
| Lester, Maurissa | II | Limestone College | Conference Carolinas | Basketball |
| Martin, Lauren | II | Adams State University | Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference | Cross Country, Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field |
| McCleney, Haylie | I | University of Alabama | Southeastern Conference | Softball |
| McCormack, Kara | I | University of Miami (FL) | Atlantic Coast Conference | Swimming and Diving |
| Monnat, Maggie | II | Le Moyne University | Northeast-10 Conference | Lacrosse |
| Pruden, Cathleen | III | Mount Holyoke College | New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference | Swimming and Diving |
| Robinson, Marissa | III | Kean University | New Jersey Athletic Conference | Field Hockey |
| Rohn, Faith | II | Palm Beach Atlantic University | Independent | Volleyball |
| Siebert, Elayna | II | Carson-Newman University | South Atlantic Conference | Softball |
| Spieler, Katie | I | University of Hawaii, Manoa | Big West Conference | Beach Volleyball |
| Steinke, Ruth | III | Carleton College | Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | Cross Country, Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field |
| Tillo, Emily | I | Boston University | Patriot League | Golf |
| Townsend, Haley | III | Kenyon College | North Coast Athletic Conference | Swimming and Diving |
| Turner, Cameasha | I | University of Texas, El Paso | Conference USA | Women’s Basketball |
| Vann, Sasa | III | SUNY- Buffalo State | State University of New York Athletic Conference | Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field |
| Viti, Amy | III | Misericordia University | Middle Atlantic Conference | Cross Country, Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field |
| Wilson, Channing | II | California State University, Stanislaus | California Collegiate Athletic Association | Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field |
More information can be found here.