Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association issued the following announcement on Sept. 23
The Woman of the Year Selection Committee has announced the Top 30 honorees for the 2021 NCAA Woman of the Year Award with Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Woman of the Year Nazirah Purnell of Lincoln University among the honorees.
A Williamsport, PA native, Purnell majored in Political Science, making the Dean's List every semester throughout her scholastic career before graduating Summa Cum Laude with a 3.92 grade point average in May of 2021.She is an active member in her community where she volunteers for organizations such as RISE, helping college students and Pennsylvania residents to vote, as well as serving as a tutor for the LUPA athletic department. A consistent leader among her peers, Purnell served in several officer roles for many organizations to include Attorney General of the Lincoln University Judicial Board, member/chair in the Student Government Association Student Senate, Special Senator of the Pennsylvania Association of State-Related Students, and President of the Thurgood Marshall Law Society to name a few. For her efforts in the community, Purnell received the 2021 Community Service Award from Lincoln University.
Purnell is a three-sport athlete (cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field) and earned All-CIAA honors in cross country during the 2018 and 2019 seasons. She is a member of Chi Alpha Sigma National Scholar-Athlete Honor Society as well as Pi Sigma Alpha Political Science Honor Society.
Established in 1991, the NCAA Woman of the Year award is rooted in Title IX and recognizes graduating female college athletes who have exhausted their NCAA eligibility and distinguished themselves in academics, athletics, service and leadership throughout their collegiate careers.
Selected from 535 school nominees — a group that was then narrowed to 154 nominees by conference offices — the Top 30 honorees include 10 from each of the three NCAA divisions. All have demonstrated excellence in academics, athletics, community service and leadership. The honorees represent 12 sports and an array of academic majors, including biology, psychology, mechanical engineering, education, software engineering and anthropology.
“We are thrilled to recognize the 30 honorees selected this year,” said John Kietzmann, chair of the selection committee and associate director of athletics for marketing at Metropolitan State University of Denver. “These women excelled in the classroom and competition, while still prioritizing serving their peers and communities despite the challenges they faced during the pandemic. They represent the thousands of women competing in college sports each year, and we congratulate them for their incredible achievements.”
The selection committee will determine the top three honorees in each division from the Top 30, and the nine finalists will be announced this fall. From those nine finalists, the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics will choose the 2021 NCAA Woman of the Year.
On Tuesday, Nov. 9, during a virtual awards ceremony, the Top 30 honorees will be celebrated, and the NCAA Woman of the Year will be named. Below is the full list of top 30 honorees for the 2021 NCAA Woman of the Year:
| NOMINEE NAME | SCHOOL | DIVISION | CONFERENCE | SPORTS |
| Bria Beale | University of Hawaii at Hilo | Division II | Pacific West Conference | Volleyball |
| Mikayla Bisignani | Johns Hopkins University | Division III | Independent | Outdoor Track and Field, Swimming and Diving |
| Kailyn Brandt | Washington College (Maryland) | Division III | Centennial Conference | Field Hockey |
| Anna Cockrell | University of Southern California | Division I | Pac-12 Conference | Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Kendall Cornick | Augustana University (South Dakota) | Division II | Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference | Softball |
| Chelsie DePonte | Stony Brook University | Division I | America East Conference | Soccer |
| Stefani Deschner | University of Notre Dame | Division I | Atlantic Coast Conference | Fencing |
| Favor Ezewuzie | Wheaton College (Illinois) | Division III | College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin | Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Emma Griffith | University of Chicago | Division III | University Athletic Association | Volleyball |
| Shelby Gunnells | North Dakota State University | Division I | The Summit League | Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Carley Hale | Southern Arkansas University | Division II | Great American Conference | Cross Country, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Naomi Hill | North Central College | Division III | Independent | Triathlon |
| Julia Ingram | University of Tampa | Division II | Sunshine State Conference | Basketball |
| Alison Johnson | Adelphi University | Division II | Northeast-10 Conference | Lacrosse |
| Eka Jose | Washington University in St. Louis | Division III | University Athletic Association | Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Valda Kabia | West Texas A&M University | Division II | Lone Star Conference | Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Abigail Knapton | University of Nebraska, Lincoln | Division I | Big Ten Conference | Swimming and Diving |
| Kaelyn Long | Bucknell University | Division I | Patriot League | Field Hockey |
| Jessica Lopez | Haverford College | Division III | Centennial Conference | Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Taylor Malasek | University of North Georgia | Division II | Peach Belt Conference | Soccer |
| Bria Matthews | Georgia Institute of Technology | Division I | Atlantic Coast Conference | Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Mekayla Montgomery | Hobart and William Smith Colleges | Division III | Liberty League | Lacrosse |
| Nazirah Purnell | Lincoln University (Pennsylvania) | Division II | Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association | Cross Country, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Lindsey Ruderman | Amherst College | Division III | New England Small College Athletic Conference | Swimming and Diving |
| Avery Skinner | University of Kentucky | Division I | Southeastern Conference | Volleyball |
| Jenna Taylor | Simpson College | Division III | American Rivers Conference | Basketball |
| Sami Williams | Iowa State University | Division I | Big 12 Conference | Softball |
| Ashton Woods | Southern Methodist University | Division I | American Athletic Conference | Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Jami Wright | Southern Wesleyan University | Division II | Conference Carolinas | Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field |
| Irisa Ye | University of the Sciences | Division II | Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference | Basketball |
Original source can be found here.
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