Washington University graduate Lizzy Crist has been named a Top 30 honoree for the 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year Award as announced by the Woman of the Year selection committee.
Schools nominated a record 543 women for the award this year, which conferences then narrowed to 145 nominees to be considered by the committee. Crist was named the UAA's representative on July 11.
Crist, the 2017 NCAA Division III Athlete of the Year was the 2016 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Division III Player of the Year after helping lead the Bears to the 2016 NCAA Division III national championship. She was also the D3soccer.com Goalkeeper of the Year and an NSCAA and D3soccer.com first team All-America selection.
During her time at Washington University, she regularly tutored several St. Louis girls in elementary level English and math, with a focus on empowering those from disadvantaged backgrounds, showing students they could achieve their goals in spite of language, socioeconomic, and/or racial barriers.
A three-time UAA All-Academic honoree, Crist was a 2016 College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) first team Academic All-America selection. She earned the Washington University Department of Biomedical Engineering Outstanding Senior Achievement Award and the Ethan A.H. Shepley Award in recognition of her leadership, scholarship, and service to the community.
She graduated with a 3.90 grade point average while majoring in biomedical engineering, and is now enrolled in the University of Minnesota Biomedical Engineering PhD program. She plans to devote herself to promoting female students to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).
The Top 30 honorees — including 10 from each of the three NCAA divisions — have demonstrated excellence in academics, athletics, community service and leadership. They represent 12 sports and a wide range of academic majors, including neuroscience, communication, biomedical engineering, sport management, political science and art.
“The Top 30 honorees are remarkable representatives of the thousands of women competing in college sports each year,” said Sarah Hebberd, chair of the Woman of the Year selection committee and director of compliance at Georgia. “They have seized every opportunity available to them on the field of play, in the classroom and in the community, and we are proud to recognize them for their outstanding achievements.”
In late September, the selection committee will announce three women from each division as the nine finalists. From the finalists, the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics will select the 2017 Woman of the Year, who will be named Oct. 22 at a ceremony in Indianapolis.