Battista Named A Top 30 Honoree for 2014 NCAA Woman of the Year Award
WALTHAM, Mass. – Former Bentley University women's basketball standout Lauren Battista (North Easton/Oliver Ames HS) is one of the top 30 honorees for the 2014 NCAA Woman of the Year award. The Top 30, announced this afternoon by the NCAA, was pared down from a total of 446 nominees.
Ten women from each of the three divisions make up the Top 30, spanning various NCAA sports. Later this month, three finalists from each division will be selected to form the nine finalists for the award. The 2014 Woman of the Year will be announced at a ceremony in Indianapolis Oct. 19.
Battista, who led the 2013-14 Bentley Falcons to an undefeated season and the program's first-ever NCAA Division II national championship, has already been on the receiving end of a host of impressive awards in recent months.
That list includes the Division II Honda Award as the nation's top female student-athlete, Capital One Division II Academic All-America® of the Year (all sports) and the Division II Conference Commissioners' Association Female Student-Athlete of the Year.
Battista, a three-time WBCA All-America and three-time Academic All-America, graduated Magna Cum Laude with a 3.96 grade point average after majoring in marketing and liberal studies.
The top 30 honorees reflect the pillars of the Woman of the Year award: outstanding achievements in academics, athletics, community service and leadership.
The 30 finalists combined for an average GPA of 3.85 and earned a total of 49 Capital One Academic All-America awards. There were a total of 27 national championships, 38 All-America recognitions and 24,000 hours of community service.
"These women are perfect examples of NCAA student-athletes succeeding on the field, in the classroom and in life," said Gloria Nevarez, NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee chair and senior associate commissioner for the Pac-12 Conference. "We are impressed by their outstanding achievements, and no matter the paths they take after college, we are confident that they will continue to lead their peers for many years to come."
The top 30 are:
Name |
Div |
Conference |
School |
Sport(s) |
Baltes, Alexa |
III |
College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin |
Illinois Wesleyan University |
Basketball |
Bast, Marisa |
I |
Big Ten Conference |
Northwestern University |
Softball |
Battista, Lauren |
II |
Northeast-10 Conference |
Bentley University |
Basketball |
Benson, Courtney |
III |
Independent |
Hamline University |
Gymnastics |
Bouchard, Colleen |
III |
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference |
College of Saint Benedict |
Basketball, Soccer |
Bradshaw, Deanne |
II |
Great Midwest Athletic Conference |
Cedarville University |
Soccer |
Buja, Megan |
I |
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conf. |
University of Maryland Eastern Shore |
Bowling |
Chambers, Ellen |
II |
Sunshine State Conference |
Lynn University |
Golf |
Comolli, Kelly |
I |
Big East Conference |
Georgetown University |
Basketball, Tennis |
D'Agostino, Abbey |
I |
The Ivy League |
Dartmouth College |
Cross Country, Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field |
Dorismond, Christina |
I |
Southern Conference |
Furman University |
Volleyball |
Epps, Christina |
I |
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conf. |
Coppin State University |
Volleyball, Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field |
Gooch, Paige |
III |
North Coast Athletic Conference |
DePauw University |
Golf |
Hasslen, Alyssa |
I |
Pac-12 Conference |
University of Arizona |
Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field |
Light, Megan |
III |
University Athletic Association |
Emory University |
Softball |
Maehama, Akemi |
II |
Sunshine State Conference |
Barry University |
Tennis |
Moran, Agostina |
II |
Great American Conference |
East Central University |
Tennis |
Murray, Rachel |
II |
Heartland Conference |
St. Edward's University |
Soccer |
Nichols, Elizabeth |
II |
Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference |
Philadelphia University |
Lacrosse |
Ogwumike, Chiney |
I |
Pac-12 Conference |
Stanford University |
Basketball |
Oswald, Chelsea |
I |
Southeastern Conference |
University of Kentucky |
Cross Country, Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field |
Pantlin, Lara |
III |
USA South Athletic Conference |
Meredith College |
Cross Country |
Robenalt, Lauren |
III |
American Southwest Conference |
The University of Texas at Tyler |
Softball |
Sadowski, Rachel |
III |
Old Dominion Athletic Conf. |
Lynchburg College |
Soccer |
Sileo, Jackie |
II |
East Coast Conference |
Long Island University/LIU Post |
Lacrosse |
Stoltz, Krista |
III |
Upper Midwest Athletic Conference |
University of Northwestern-St. Paul |
Volleyball |
Tucker, Elizabeth |
I |
Atlantic Coast Conference |
University of Notre Dame |
Soccer |
Vrazel, Bailey |
II |
Lone Star Conference |
Texas Woman's University |
Softball |
Williams, Danielle |
II |
Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association |
Johnson C. Smith University |
Cross Country, Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field |
Zitoli, Olivia |
III |
Liberty League |
William Smith College |
Soccer |