The NCAA Woman of the Year award honors graduating female student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership. 

In 2022, 577 female college athletes, representing all NCAA championship sports across Divisions I, II and III, were nominated. The Committee on Women’s Athletics manages the nomination process and selections and encourages each member school to honor its top graduating female student-athlete(s) with a nomination.

Member schools are urged to submit two nominations if at least one of the nominees is a student-athlete of color or international student-athlete. The nomination form is completed by the member school and student-athlete and submitted via the NCAA Program Hub. School nominations are due at 5 p.m. Eastern time Wednesday, June 21.

Upon receiving nominations from its core member schools, each conference should assess each nominee’s eligibility and select up to two conference nominees based on their respective achievements in academics, athletics, service and leadership. Conferences may recognize two nominees if at least one of the nominees is a woman of color or international student-athlete. Each conference office must submit its nominee(s) to the national office via NCAA Program Hub by 5 p.m. Eastern time Friday, July 14.

All nominees who compete in a sport not sponsored by their school’s primary conference, as well as associate conference nominees and independent nominees, will be sent to a separate pool to be considered by a committee. The committee will then decide the nominees to move forward to the conference round.

All conference-level nominees are forwarded to the Woman of the Year selection committee. The selection committee will choose the top 10 honorees in each division. From among those 30 honorees, the selection committee will determine the three finalists in each division. Finally, the members of the Committee on Women’s Athletics will vote from among the top nine finalists to determine the 2023 NCAA Woman of the Year.

Later this fall, the national Top 30 honorees and nine finalists will be announced. The 2023 NCAA Woman of the Year will be announced at the 2024 NCAA Convention in Phoenix.

Eligibility for the 2023 NCAA Woman of the Year award:

• The nominee must have competed and earned a varsity letter in an NCAA-sponsored sport.
• The nominee must have earned her undergraduate degree no later than the summer 2023 term. 
• The nominee must have a minimum cumulative undergraduate grade-point average of 2.50 on a 4.00 scale.
• All information on the student-athlete nomination form, including the personal statement and school verification form, with signatures from the nominee, nominator and director of athletics or senior woman administrator, must be completed and uploaded in the NCAA Program Hub. Incomplete nominations will not be considered.

Please note that the Woman of the Year selection committee and the Committee on Women’s Athletics will NOT consider videos, media guides, emailed photographs or similar supplemental materials from schools, conferences and nominees.

For answers to frequently asked questions about nomination eligibility, canceled championships or athletics seasons, or a modified academic semester, please click here.

Selection guidelines:

The selection committee will determine the top 10 honorees in each division and the top three honorees in each division using the guidelines outlined here. The Committee on Women’s Athletics also will follow these guidelines when selecting the 2023 NCAA Woman of the Year. The Woman of the Year Selection Committee and Committee on Women’s Athletics are aware of effects the COVID-19 pandemic had on athletics seasons and championships and will take them into consideration.

Scoring for the academic achievement section is based on the undergraduate cumulative grade-point average of the nominee. NCAA staff will score the athletics excellence section based on the highest honor of all listed athletics accomplishments, including national and conference championships and All-America honors awarded by the sport’s coaches association or a nationally recognized awards association for the sport (for example, the Associated Press). The selection committee will score the service and leadership section and the personal statement.

Awards schedule:

• Member school nomination(s) must be submitted via the NCAA Program Hub by 5 p.m. Eastern time Wednesday, June 21.
• Conference offices will receive access their nominees for review in NCAA Program Hub no later than Wednesday, June 28. 
• Conference nominees must be submitted via NCAA Program Hub by 5 p.m. Eastern time Friday, July 14
• Member schools and conferences will have an opportunity to submit supplemental information about their nominees’ national recognitions or awards (if any) that were announced after the Wednesday, June 21, deadline for member school nominations. The supplemental information can be submitted to the NCAA from Friday, June 30, to Tuesday, Aug. 1, only. Supplemental information submitted outside those dates will not be considered by the selection committee for the Top 30 honorees. Contact WOTY@ncaa.org for more information.
• The Top 30 honorees (10 per division) will be announced in October.
• Nine finalists (three per division) will be announced in November.
• The 2023 NCAA Woman of the Year will be announced at the 2024 NCAA Convention in January.

For additional information about the NCAA Woman of the Year award, contact WOTY@ncaa.org.