INDIANAPOLIS - More than 140 NCAA female
student-athletes representing multiple sports across Divisions I,
II and III have been selected as 2011 Woman of the Year nominees by
their athletic conferences and by independent
institutions. The East Coast Conference’s nominee
is Chelsea Methot of the Mercy College softball team.
Methot, an ECC First Team All-Conference and NFCA All-East Region
selection, led Mercy to their highest win total since 1987 last
season. She led the Mavericks in almost every offensive
category while also finishing among the Division II leaders in
homeruns, batting average, and on-base percentage. Methot was also
a Honor Society member and graduated with a 3.58 GPA.
The Woman of the Year Award, now in its 21st year, honors female
student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their
collegiate careers in academic achievement, athletic excellence,
community service and leadership. 2010 Woman of the
Year Justine Schluntz was an NCAA swimming champion and 2010 Rhodes
Scholar from the University of Arizona.
Nomination submissions for the prestigious NCAA Woman of the Year
program continue to grow, with a record 471 nominations received
for this year’s program, an increase of 19 over last
year. Every NCAA member institution is encouraged to
honor its top graduating female student-athlete by submitting her
name for consideration. Each conference assesses the
eligibility of its members’ nominees and selects at least one
student-athlete to represent the conference. To be
eligible for the award, a female student-athlete must have
completed intercollegiate eligibility in her primary sport by the
end of the 2011 spring season, graduated no later than the end of
the summer 2011 term and achieved a minimum cumulative grade-point
average of 2.5.
With the 142 conference nominees selected, a committee composed of
representatives from NCAA member schools and athletic conferences
will select 10 nominees from each of the three divisions to compose
the Top 30 nominees, who will be announced in late August.
The selection committee will then narrow the Top 30 to three
finalists from each division to form the Top Nine, which will be
announced in early September. From the Top Nine finalists,
the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics will select the
national winner. The 2011 NCAA Woman of the Year will
be announced during the Woman of the Year dinner in Indianapolis on
Sunday, October 16.
To view the full list of nominees, please click
here.
