FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 3, 2014
Click here for official NCAA Woman of the Year Finalist Release
SOUTH EASTON, Mass. - Former Bentley University women’s basketball standout Lauren Battista 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 Northeast-10 Conference is an association of 15 NCAA Division II colleges and universities located in New England and New York that is committed to supporting balanced academic and athletic opportunities for more than 6,000 student-athletes.
Each year, 4,000 of those student-athletes compete in Conference championships in 23 sports, making the NE-10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sports sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the Northeast-10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
Content for this release provided by Bentley University and the NCAA
– #NE10 –
Former @BentleyFalcons WBKB Player Lauren Battista adds another impressive honor #NE10 http://t.co/dpHZqOPl6D pic.twitter.com/thfD7Cb5Je
— Northeast-10 (@TheNortheast10) September 3, 2014
