The Woman of the Year Selection Committee has named nine student-athletes as finalists for the 2024 NCAA Woman of the Year award.
The nine finalists consist of three student-athletes from each NCAA division. Each finalist was selected for her outstanding achievements in academics, athletics, community service and leadership.
Representing Division I, the finalists are Riley Felts, Charlotte; Caitlin Lyons, Georgia; and Isabella Whittaker, University of Pennsylvania. The finalists from Division II are Anna Grossheim, UNC Pembroke; Samantha Pirosko, Gannon; and Shelby Robb, Metropolitan State University of Denver. Division III finalists are Hannah Kassaie, Case Western Reserve; Maddy Miles, Mount Union; and Alexandra Turvey, Pomona-Pitzer.
Selected from a record-breaking 627 nominees submitted by member schools, that pool of student-athletes was narrowed to the national Top 30 honorees and then to the nine finalists. The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics will choose the 2024 NCAA Woman of the Year at the NCAA Convention in January in Nashville, Tennessee, the NCAA Woman of the Year will be announced, and the Top 30 will be honored.
Read excerpts of the finalists' personal statements and details of their stories below:
Anna Grossheim
School: UNC Pembroke
Division II
Conference: Conference Carolinas
Sport: Soccer
Major: Sociology
Anna Grossheim earned multiple athletic and academic All-America honors, helped her team win three consecutive conference tournament titles, and was named the Conference Carolinas Scholar Athlete of the Year for women's soccer in 2022. Off the field, her service as a firefighter, emergency medical technician and member of an emergency response dive team shaped her ability to handle high-stress situations.
"The life of a first responder is dynamic, challenging and incredibly fulfilling," she said. "In my four years of service, I have assisted in delivering three babies, bringing an individual back to life (who is still alive and well today), ran into burning buildings and performed lifesaving interventions in the direst of circumstances."
Grossheim said these experiences also helped her talk about mental health and create pathways for her soccer teammates to do the same. As a team captain for multiple seasons, she created a partnership with Career and Psychological Services to encourage teammates to take care of their mental health.
"During my time at UNCP, I have encouraged my teammates to be proactive about their mental health and to seek assistance, both in good times and in bad. Advocation for mental health has become an integral part of my role as a captain on my team," she said. "Going forward, I will continue to not only be proactive about my own mental health, but also advocate for the mental health of those around me — in community, in career and in sport."
Riley Felts
School: Charlotte
Division I
Conference: American Athletic Conference
Sports: Indoor and outdoor track and field
Major: Civil engineering
Riley Felts was a two-time Division I national runner-up in pole vault, earned multiple All-America honors and competed in the Olympic trials. Although she found immense success in pole vault, her athletics career was marred by injury, which led to self-discovery.
"I want to communicate to others that they can overcome any adversity and should take time to appreciate their journey," Felts said. "When things are at their best or at their worst, it is the interpersonal bonding that makes our experiences worthwhile. The relationships I have built with my coaches, fellow athletes, engineers and the community (at Charlotte) have been life-changing."
Off the track, Felts maintained a 4.0 grade-point average while earning a bachelor's degree in civil engineering. She went on to complete a master's degree in geoenvironmental engineering. She received her school's Pure Gold Community Service Award and the Conference USA Spirit of Service award for her leadership volunteering on and off campus.
Her leadership on Charlotte's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee included engaging with local organizations such as Samaritan's Feet, Charlotte Flights Track and Field Club, and the Down Syndrome Association.
"SAAC taught me the importance of belonging to something greater than myself and has empowered me to collaborate with others to make an impact," Felts said.
Reflecting on her collegiate career, Felts said she's proud of how her challenges and triumphs shaped her.
"During my years at Charlotte, I have become more patient, resilient and communicative, and a stronger woman," she said. "I hope my story inspires others to push through obstacles and fulfill their dreams."
Hannah Kassaie
School: Case Western Reserve
Division III
Conference: University Athletic Association
Sport: Tennis
Major: Nutrition
Hannah Kassaie's collegiate tennis career brought multiple Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-America honors and an ITA Division III Senior Player of the Year for Women's Tennis honor. Yet her collegiate career was also defined through a tragedy that shaped her perspective on life and sports.
In June 2022, one of her best friends and teammates, Madeleine Eiss, died unexpectedly.
"This shocked us to our cores. Even the thought of tennis became heart-wrenching as it would always bring my mind to Maddie. I couldn't even step onto a court without tears filling my eyes. However, after the shock subsided, I began to play tennis again. I quickly realized playing tennis made me feel closer to her," Kassaie said. "Managing this grief over the years as a student-athlete has shaped me into the person I am today. I have learned how to process my emotions through stressful situations. More specifically, I know that I can pursue and achieve anything that I'm passionate about no matter the situation."
Through these experiences, Kassaie further developed her passion for medicine. She excelled in the classroom, earning multiple College Sports Communicators Academic All-America honors for her dedication and being named the 2023 Academic All-America Team Member of the Year in her sport. She additionally won two NCAA Elite 90 awards for having the highest GPA of all competitors at the championship finals site and earned the ITA Sally Ride STEM Award.
Kassaie also used her talents to help her community, partnering with an athlete with Down syndrome through Buddy Up Connections, volunteering with a food recovery network, tutoring schoolchildren and international students, and teaching tennis skills to middle and high school teams.
"These lessons of passion, community and trust are what I hope to bring to the medical field. What drew me to medicine is its humanistic and collaborative nature," she said. "As a student-athlete, I hope to use these experiences as I continue my challenging and exciting journey of studies and to better help and connect with my future patients and their situations."
Caitlin Lyons
School: Georgia
Division I
Conference: Southeastern Conference
Sport: Equestrian
Majors: Ecology; French
Caitlin Lyons' equestrian career at Georgia has been marked by her leadership in the community and on her team. One of those leadership roles came through Team IMPACT, an organization that matches children facing serious illness and disability with college sports teams. Her connection with Georgia equestrian's young teammate, Audrey, helped her recognize the power of sports and the importance of being a role model.
"The fostering of this relationship has made me realize how the world of sports can change lives and truly gives everyone the capacity to engage," she said, "and interacting with horses adds another layer of connection to both our body and minds."
A member of the 2021 National Collegiate Equestrian Association national championship team, Lyons was the SEC Reining Rider of the Year in 2021-22. She also excelled academically, graduating summa cum laude, receiving multiple NCEA All-Academic honors and being named the 2024 SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year for equestrian. After graduation, Lyons plans to use the skills she learned during her student-athlete experience to make an impact in her professional career.
"My goal in the workforce is to enter a career path involving policy development and compliance work. My biggest dream is to protect and conserve endangered species, and at its core, I believe, we must cherish the cohabitation between humans and wildlife," she said. "My gratitude and appreciation for the athletic department at Georgia will extend far beyond my years at this university. Throughout my time, this institution taught me about the importance of working for something much greater than ourselves, and I plan to continue that work moving forward."
Maddy Miles
School: Mount Union
Division III
Conference: Ohio Athletic Conference
Sports: Indoor and outdoor track and field, basketball
Major: Biochemistry
As a dual-sport athlete in basketball and track and field, Maddy Miles has thrived on the court, on the track and in the classroom. Miles has earned multiple U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-America honors and won multiple conference championships in the 400-meter race and various relays, setting a national record and several school records in relay events. Outside athletics, she has led Mount Union's chapter of Active Minds, an organization dedicated to promoting mental health, and volunteered at a local domestic violence shelter, providing support for women and children. She graduated magna cum laude.
While at Mount Union, Miles was accepted into Case Western Reserve's Cancer-focused Summer Undergraduate Research program, where she investigated gene silencing and its potential as a cancer therapeutic. Yet the most transformative part about this experience came from the interpersonal relationships she formed with her advisor.
"I was most enlightened through the relationship I had with my advisor, Ruth Keri," she said. "Ruth provided a platform to represent underserved women of color in research; she pushed me to be curious and inspired me to stay resilient even in the face of failure. Through this I was reminded to work hard for the young women who look like me to believe they could be in STEM too."
Not only did Miles form a strong bond with her mentor, but she also became a mentor to her own teammates. Miles said the relationships she formed with her teammates have created a lasting bond of sisterhood.
"One encounter in particular was with one of my basketball teammates," Miles said. "She had come from an inner-city school and had never used a planner. She reached out to me asking for guidance, and we spent the next 12 hours working through her syllabus and teaching her how to use a planner and stay organized. (Recently), she has made the dean's list. Even these small encounters have stuck with me years later, being able to make a small impact to allow another woman to flourish is what is most meaningful to me."
Samantha Pirosko
School: Gannon
Division II
Conference: Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference
Sport: Basketball
Majors: Health sciences; physician assistant
Samantha Pirosko, named the Division II Women's Basketball Player of the Year in 2023-24, said being a student-athlete at Gannon brought her out of her shell as an introvert and transformed her into a leader who made an impact on her team and community.
"Throughout my time at Gannon, I was forced to step outside of my comfort zone. I was faced with difficulties as a scholar, an athlete and a leader," she said. "Each of these challenges caused me to leave my comfort zone and get comfortable being uncomfortable. With each challenge, I could feel myself getting further and further away from who I was. Each challenge I conquered was giving me more confidence and helping me to grow for the better. By the time I reached my senior year I could confidently call myself an extrovert in progress."
Pirosko's transformation was coupled with her dominance on the basketball court. She led Gannon to a 35-3 record and the Elite Eight as a senior, setting a school season scoring record of 752 points and earning multiple All-America honors throughout her career.
Pirosko also earned the 2024 College Sports Communicators Division II Academic All-America Team Member of the Year across all college sports and for women's basketball, as well as earning Academic All-America honors the previous year. She impacted her community through her volunteer work at local youth basketball camps, clinics and tournaments. She also participated in volunteer cleanups, a home restoration, and efforts benefiting children in schools, foster homes and hospitals.
"I would like to thank Gannon for starting this transition of changing me from an introvert to an extrovert," she said. "This journey has shown me how many more lives you can have a positive impact on if you are willing to take the risk and step outside of your comfort zone."
Shelby Robb
School: Metropolitan State University of Denver
Division II
Conference: Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
Sport: Softball
Major: Sports management
When reflecting on her standout softball career at MSU Denver, Shelby Robb said her journey was not just about personal achievements and athletic success.
Robb was named the 2024 College Sports Communicators Academic All-America Team Member of the Year for softball and earned multiple all-conference and All-America honors en route to becoming her school's all-time career batting average leader at .425. However, she said her true passion lies in inspiring other female athletes to achieve academic and athletic greatness and in empowering young women to be well-rounded leaders on and off the field.
"Working as a youth softball program coordinator at Slammers North has become an important part of my desire to empower young athletes. Witnessing a player's transformation from hesitant beginner to confident athlete is a testament to the transformative power of sports," she said. "It's a priority for me to directly impact these young girls' lives by fostering an environment where leadership, teamwork and confidence are the cornerstone of each program we develop."
Robb's experiences as a student-athlete inspired her desire to use her degree in sports management to shape the lives of female athletes.
"My future vision is to create inclusive opportunities for young girls to see themselves thriving in sports," Robb said. "My experiences have prepared me to face challenges and help change the world of sports for the better. This journey has motivated me to look beyond personal achievements and empowered me to make a positive impact within my community and pave the way for the next generation of female leaders in sports."
Alexandra Turvey
School: Pomona-Pitzer
Division III
Conference: Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Sport: Swimming and diving
Major: Biology
Alexandra Turvey's student-athlete experience and college career have been shaped by deeply personal motivations. Turvey's mother was diagnosed with cancer at 35 years old, and Turvey's grandmother died at 48 from cancer. Knowing the early detection of cancer became possible because of research by doctors and scientists, Turvey committed herself to becoming a clinical scientist.
In her time as a student-athlete, she amassed over 2,500 hours of basic science and clinical research and published three articles in scientific journals, including one as first author. In July, she began an eight-year graduate program at Harvard Medical School and MIT that combines two challenging graduate degrees, medical school and a Ph.D.
"From my research experiences in a children's hospital and a genomics lab, I want to tackle seemingly unsolvable problems," she said. "I bring to this career a very strong academic background and four years of research experience, but my greatest contribution is my grit. This comes from intercollegiate athletics. From competitive swimming and teamwork, I know how to work tirelessly to improve and how to motivate and deeply care for others."
Turvey's work ethic has extended beyond the classroom and into the pool. She won two NCAA relay titles and multiple College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America All-America honors and was her conference's Female Swimmer of the Year three times.
She graduated summa cum laude and earned national awards, including the Goldwater Scholarship, NCAA Elite 90 award, College Sports Communicators Academic All-America Team Member of the Year in her sport, Beckman Scholars Program award and the NCAA Walter Byers Graduate Scholarship.
Turvey has said her experiences as a student-athlete have shaped not only her personal life but also her professional career after college.
"Swimming has shaped who I am. It has taught me to take risks. And to not shy away from setting ambitious goals," she said. "Athletics teaches you that life does not go as planned. I have learned far more from days when success eluded me than from podium moments. Swimming has taught me to access depths of toughness that I didn't know that I possessed and to truly be there for others."
Isabella Whittaker
School: University of Pennsylvania
Division I
Conference: The Ivy League
Sports: Indoor and outdoor track and field
Major: Communication
Isabella Whittaker is an All-Ivy and All-America honoree and a College Sports Communicators Academic All-American. She also qualified for the 2024 Olympic team as part of the 4x400-meter relay pool. Reflecting on her collegiate career, she noted that being sidelined from competition by injuries allowed her to explore other aspects of her identity as a Black queer woman.
"During the time I was unable to compete or practice, I found myself feeling lost and ungrounded. With my abundance of time, I plunged deep into community building in the spaces that I inhabited. What years of existing as a Black queer woman in a white-dominated space throughout my education has taught me is the importance of finding pockets within the communities that I am a part of. These pockets exist as a sanctuary, not only for me, but for those like me," she said. "As a leader on the track team, I am in a unique position to inspire and encourage success for my peers, specifically those who don't necessarily fit the mold, both in athletics and outside."
Whittaker served as vice president and alumni relations chair of Black Student Athletes at Penn and was a founding member of the group. She also helped launch the campus Athlete Ally chapter, advocating for LGBTQ+ athletes. Working with the Young Quakers Community Athletics program, Whittaker mentored children and hosted youth track practices. She also served as a team captain for the Make a Play Foundation, leading a team of student-athletes from underrepresented communities through a professional development fellowship.
"Being a Black student-athlete at Penn, it was important to me that the kids I worked with had a mentor who looked like them as present as possible and who was in the pursuit of something greater than themselves," she said. "I learned that by wielding my success at a university like Penn as a black queer woman, I situated myself as an example to these kids to remain hopeful and dream big."
