NCAA Chooses Nine Finalists for 2011 Woman of the Year; Four Having Aquatic Sport Resumes

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, September 14. THE NCAA has selected nine outstanding women as finalists for the 2011 Woman of the Year award, which will be presented Oct. 16 in Indianapolis. The four finalists with aquatic sports backgrounds are Annie Chandler (Arizona/DI), Kelsey Ward (Drury/DII), Laura Barito (Stevens Institute of Technology/DIII) and Haley Emerick (Trinity of Texas/DIII).

The nine finalists, along with the other honorees who made the Top 30, will be invited to Indianapolis for the Woman of the Year festivities. The award weekend will include a community service project that gives honorees the opportunity to interact with young girls in the city of Indianapolis and serve as role models for them. The NCAA will also host a reception in their honor.

The NCAA's Woman of the Year Award, now in its 21st year, honors female student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in academic achievement, athletic excellence, community service and leadership. Every NCAA member institution is encouraged to honor its top graduating female student-athlete by submitting her name for consideration. Each conference assesses the eligibility of its members' nominees and selects at least one student-athlete to represent the conference.

To be eligible for the award, a female student-athlete must have completed eligibility in her primary sport by the end of the 2011 spring season, graduated no later than the end of the summer 2011 term and achieved a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 2.5. The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics selects the national winner from the nine finalists.

Last year's NCAA Woman of the Year was Justine Schluntz, a 2010 Rhodes Scholar, swimmer and mechanical engineering major, from the University of Arizona.

The following are the bios for the finalists with aquatics backgrounds:

Division I

Annie Chandler, University of Arizona
Pacific-12 Conference
Journalism
Swimming
Hometown: San Antonio, Texas

Excerpt from personal statement: "Honoring your team can be pouring your heart into practice, striving for academic excellence, leading with integrity, or joyfully serving your community. The ability to contribute is an honor. Community service can open an athlete's eyes to a world beyond sport – a world incomprehensibly grateful for your contributions."

She's an NCAA Division I swimming national champion and record holder in the 100-meter breaststroke, but Chandler's excellence extends well outside the pool. A Top 12 finalist for the University of Arizona's Outstanding Senior Awards, Chandler excelled in the classroom, graduating cum laude with a bachelor's degree in journalism. She also served as managing editor of the Tombstone Epitaph, the school's biweekly newspaper in 2010, and earned First-Team Academic All-American honors by ESPN the Magazine the same year.

A supporter of her community, Chandler has dedicated countless hours to service, visiting with hospital patients, working with underprivileged children and volunteering at numerous swimming clinics to spread her love of the sport.

Chandler was a leader in athletics as well, serving as team captain of Arizona's swimming and diving team, and helping freshmen transition into their lives as student-athletes as a Peer Athletic Leader.

In addition to her individual national championship in the 100-yard breaststroke, Chandler won six additional national championships in medley relays during her four-year tenure at Arizona. The 18-time All-American also competed internationally in 2008 and 2010 when she was a member of the U.S. Women's National Team.

Division II

Kelsey Ward, Drury University
Great Lakes Valley Conference
Chemistry and Biology
Swimming
Hometown: St. Charles, Mo.

Excerpt from personal statement: "My passion to be a doctor began when I was very young, and that passion has only grown over the years. My sophomore year of college, my best friend was diagnosed with cancer, and then a second teammate was diagnosed with a brain tumor. These two experiences validated in me how people's lives are put back together through the dedication of doctors."

Ward earned numerous academic honors while at Drury, including being named to the Dean's List every semester. Named Outstanding Freshman in Chemistry, she continued to earn accolades and was named a College Swimming Coaches Association of America Scholar All-American her freshman, sophomore, junior and senior years. She was a two-time nominee for the prestigious NCAA Elite 88 honor and was a finalist for the NCAA Walter Byers Award. She also earned an NCAA postgraduate scholarship and now is studying medicine in Colorado.

Ward, a team captain, helped Drury to three NCAA Division II national championships during her four years. She also finished in the top 10 at the national championships her senior year in the 50-, 100-, and 200-freestyle events. She set national records in swimming and was a member of several relay teams that had top finishes.

Giving back to the community, she helped organize Drury's annual blood drive; volunteered with Habitat for Humanity; was a meet timer for the Special Olympics; and organized a volunteer walk initiative for a Leukemia and Lymphoma Society "Light the Night" event. She was treasurer for the Pre-Health Professions Club; a member of Drury's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee; a member of the American Chemical Society; and a member of the Tri Beta Honor Society.

Division III

Laura Barito, Stevens Institute of Technology
Empire 8 Conference
Mechanical Engineering
Swimming, Track and Cross Country
Hometown: Arkadelphia, Ark.

Excerpt from personal statement: "Someone believed in me four years ago. They believed in me as a student, at a challenging school with a rigorous curriculum. They believed in me as an athlete and gave me resources to grow from an un-recruited swimmer to a National Champion. I leave with a prestigious degree in mechanical engineering and proof that the underdog can surpass expectations."

A 22-time All-American in swimming and track, Barito is a national champion in swimming (50-yard freestyle) and track (400-meter hurdles) – Stevens' first national championships. The eight-time Empire 8 record holder for numerous swimming events was named conference Athlete of the Week nine times during her career. Barito was the hurdle/sprint team captain for track, as well as nutrition representative and service leader for the track and swimming teams. Selected twice as Stevens Athlete of the Year, she was also the Empire 8 Swimmer of the Year.

Barito served on the school's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, volunteered as a server at a local homeless shelter and tutored underprivileged school children. At her church, she was a member of the worship band, a greeter and a member of the college ministry team.

The mathematics enthusiast appeared on the President's List from 2007 to 2011 and was named a NCAA Scholar All-American from 2008 to 2011. CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine named Barito to the Academic All-America First Team and the Empire 8 named her a Senior Scholar winner. Barito, a Stevens Honors Scholar, was also a member of the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society and Pi Tau Sigma Mechanical Engineering Honor Society.

Hayley Emerick, Trinity University (Texas)
Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference
Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing
Diving
Hometown: Portland, Texas

Excerpt from personal statement: "My academic experience taught me hard work, perseverance, and determination while my athletic experience taught me to set my goals high and to create a plan for reaching them step-by-step. It has given me patience and the ability to plan well into the future, and I have realized that rigorous preparation, though tough, eventually pays off."

A six-time All-American, Emerick achieved academic and athletic excellence while a member of Trinity University's diving team, serving as its captain for the 2010-11 season. She competed in the NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships all four of her years on the team, winning the three-meter diving title in 2010 and placing second in the three-meter and one-meter events in 2011. She was also an outstanding member of the community, serving the San Antonio and Corpus Christi areas in a variety of capacities, including work for the YWCA, YMCA and Habitat for Humanity.

The summer before her senior year, Emerick spent five weeks in Costa Rica with the Cross Cultural Solutions Volunteer Abroad program. She worked on marketing development for a small business in the country, while volunteering at a local orphanage and teaching English at a local university.

She excelled in the classroom as a member of Alpha Lambda Delta honor society and the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, and was a founding member of the Delta Sigma Pi business fraternity on Trinity's campus. She was a 2009-10 ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American and is the recipient of an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.

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