Just in from the NCAA. Kudos to Kara McCormack:
Finalists named for 2016 Woman of the Year Award
Nine former college athletes have been selected as finalists for the 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year Award and will be honored at an awards dinner Oct. 16 in Indianapolis.
The 2016 Woman of the Year will be named at that event.
Three women from each NCAA division were selected. Their college careers are highlighted by outstanding achievements in academics, athletics, community service and leadership.
The finalists were chosen from 30 Woman of the Year honorees who will be recognized during the event. This group of 30 includes 10 honorees from each NCAA division and represents a range of sports. Schools nominated 517 college athletes for the 2016 award.
Kara McCormack
School: University of Miami (Florida)
Conference: Atlantic Coast Conference
Sport: Women’s swimming and diving
Major: Mathematics
Hometown: Austin, Texas
Excerpt from personal statement: “Although my diving career is over, I am now taking a new plunge into another opportunity: research in the medical field. My next step is a Ph.D., followed by teaching and continued advocacy for young women to follow their passions. I therefore thank my collegiate career for making me the woman I am today, and for allowing me to continue to spread this strength to others around the world.”
Kara McCormack embraced her platform as a student-athlete as a way to lead others on her campus, in her community and on a global scale. The University of Miami (Florida) swimming and diving team captain served on the Atlantic Coast Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. She also volunteered as a pen pal with children at a local elementary school, taking advantage of the opportunity to encourage young girls to pursue interests in math and science. In addition, she went on a trip to rural Vietnam as part of the Coach for College program, where she taught ninth-grade physics and encouraged kids to persevere and attend college.
McCormack made the dean’s list every semester and graduated with a nearly perfect grade-point average in mathematics. She earned three nods as a member of the all-Atlantic Coast Conference Academic Team and received the ACC postgraduate scholarship in 2016. She was inducted into multiple honor societies on campus, and in 2016, was inducted in to the Iron Arrow Honor Society, which is the highest honor for a Miami student who exemplifies love of alma mater, character, leadership, scholarship, and humility. McCormack is now in the process of pursuing her doctorate in mathematics.
In 2013, McCormack was named the ACC Diver of the Year after winning the conference championship on the diving platform. The three-time College Swimming Coaches Association of America All-American qualified for the NCAA championships in 2016 in the 1-meter and 3-meter diving events. She also competed at the Olympics trials for USA Swimming in 2012.
The other nominees:
Margaret Guo
School: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Conference: New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference
Sport: Women’s swimming and diving
Majors: Electrical engineering and computer science; biological engineering
Hometown: San Diego
Christina Hillman
School: Iowa State University
Conference: Big 12 Conference
Sport: Women’s track and field
Majors: Child, adult and family services; psychology
Hometown: Dover, Delaware
Bri Leeper
School: West Texas A&M University
Conference: Lone Star Conference
Sport: Women’s track and field
Major: Broadcasting and electronic media
Hometown: Amarillo, Texas
Maurissa Lester
School: Limestone College
Conference: Conference Carolinas
Sport: Women’s basketball
Major: Professional biology/pre-dentistry, with a minor in chemistry
Hometown: Marietta, Georgia
Elayna Siebert
School: Carson-Newman University
Conference: South Atlantic Conference
Sport: Softball
Major: Accounting
Hometown: Knoxville, Tennessee
Haley Townsend
School: Kenyon College
Conference: North Coast Athletic Conference
Sport: Women’s swimming and diving
Major: International studies, with a concentration in Islamic civilization and cultures, and a minor in Arabic
Hometown: Greenwood, Indiana
Cameasha Turner
School: University of Texas at El Paso
Conference: Conference USA
Sport: Women’s basketball
Major: Criminal justice
Hometown: Dallas
Amy Viti
School: Misericordia University
Conference: Middle Atlantic Conference
Sports: Women’s cross country, track and field
Major: Speech language pathology
Hometown: Sugar Notch, Pennsylvania
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