From Washington University Athletics
Lizzy Crist, a 2017 Washington University in St. Louis graduate, was selected as a 2018 Today's Top 10 Award winner, as announced by the NCAA.
Crist joins fellow WashU grad Deko Ricketts as two of the three winners selected from NCAA Division III for the award, which recognizes former student-athletes for their successes on the field, in the classroom, and in the community. The 10 winners of the 2018 award will be recognized in January at the Honors Celebration during the NCAA Convention in Indianapolis.
Crist and Ricketts increase the WashU all-time total to six joining previous winners Amy Albers (1995, volleyball), Alia Fisher (2001, women's basketball), Elizabeth Phillips (2013, women's cross country/track) and Lucy Cheadle (2016, women's cross country/track).
"Lizzy Crist is a true scholar-champion. In the WashU women's soccer family, we strive to be leaders academically, athletically and socially. We want our players to thrive personally and in the community which they live and where they will be going," said WashU head women's soccer coach Jim Conlon. "On and off the field, Lizzy improves the community with her contagious smile and relentless desire. The cancer research that she is performing will enhance her community and the world."
Crist was named the 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year and the 2017 Division III Honda Athlete of the Year after helping lead WashU to the 2016 NCAA Division III Women's Soccer National Championship. She was also tabbed as the 2016 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) National Player of the Year and D3soccer.com Goalkeeper of the Year.
Crist started 23 games in goal for the Bears and recorded a 19-1-2 mark with a single-season school record 0.29 goals against average. She also set the single-season school record with 13 shutouts, and tied the single-season win total. Crist led the UAA and ranked fifth in NCAA Division III in goals allowed (6) and goals against average.
She was named the NCAA Championship Most Outstanding Defensive Player for the second-consecutive season after posting a 2-0 mark with a 0.90 goals against average in two games at the Final Four. Crist helped guide the Bears to the program's first NCAA Championship in school history and concludes her career as the school's all-time leader in shutouts (31) and was second in wins (48).
Crist also excelled in the classroom during her four years on the Danforth Campus. She graduated in May with a 3.90 grade point average while majoring in biomedical engineering. Crist was a 2016 College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) First-Team Academic All-America and All-District selection, and was a three-time Academic all-UAA honoree. She is currently enrolled in the University of Minnesota Biomedical Engineering PhD program.
Off the field, Crist earned the Department of Biomedical Engineering Outstanding Senior Achievement Award. She was also the first student in school history to sweep the three major awards at the Chancellor's Dinner, which includes the W. Alfred Hayes Award, in recognition of athletes who provided constructive leadership at the university.
Crist served as an undergraduate researcher in the transport and tissue engineering laboratory for three years, and earned summa cum laude and Tau Beta Pi honors in 2017.
In addition, Crist tutored engineering students and volunteered as an experiment leader for Einstein Explorers, a student organization that demonstrates science experiments for patients at Children's Hospital in St. Louis. She also was named the 2016-17 W Club Distinguished Athlete of the Year Award.
Complete list of Top-10 recipients:
- Kasey Cooper, Auburn softball
- Marie Coors, Saint Leo golf
- Lizzy Crist, WashU soccer
- Danielle Galyer, Kentucky swimming
- Riley Hanson, Concordia St. Paul volleyball
- Sarah Gibson, Texas A&M swimming
- Thai-Son Kwiatkowski, Virginia tennis
- Amy Regan, Stevens Institute of Technology track and field
- Deko Ricketts, WashU track and field
- Maggie Steffens, Stanford water polo