Full List Of Nominees
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The 145 conference nominees for the 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year Award were unveiled on Tuesday, with the BIG EAST being represented by Creighton volleyball’s Lauren Smith and DePaul basketball’s Jessica January. The NCAA Woman of the Year program has recognized graduating female student-athletes for excellence in academics, athletics, community service and leadership since its inception in 1991.
A Lincoln, Neb., native who graduated in May, Smith averaged 2.19 kills and 0.92 blocks per set while hitting a team-high .345 in 2016 for the league champion Bluejays. She closed her career with school records for matches played (138), matches started (137), sets played (511) and wins appeared in (104). Smith was named MVP of the 2014 BIG EAST Championship, and last year named an Honorable-Mention All-American after earning First Team All-BIG EAST and AVCA EAST Region accolades. She is the only player in program history to be named to the BIG EAST All-Tournament team three times. In 2016, Smith was a First Team Senior CLASS Award All-American, Second Team All-BIG EAST honoree and AVCA First Team All-East Region.
Off the court and out of the classroom, Smith volunteered many hours to projects such as Read to Omaha, Siena Francis House, student move-in, Abide painting, Fire Ridge Elementary, Creighton University Welcome Week, Fullerton Elementary School Field Day, Dr. Seuss Reading Day to name a few. Smith also volunteered overseas at the Orphanage of Guazgzhou in China.
January was a 2017 Summa Cum Laude graduate at DePaul and earned 2017 CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team. The point guard was honored with the BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award. She was also a WBCA All-America Honorable Mention honoree, selected by the Connecticut Sun in the third round of the 2017 WNBA Draft and was a Senior CLASS Award Finalist. January was voted BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year by the league’s coaches heading into the 2016-17 season. She got off to a fast start as the Maggie Dixon Classic MVP and being named to the all-tournament team of the prestigious Gulf Coast Showcase in Ft. Myers, Fla.
January finished the season averaging 15 points, 6.5 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game. She graduated from DePaul fourth all-time in career assists (554), tied for seventh in career steals (238), 10th all-time in field goals (568) and No. 17 in points with 1,530.
The 145 nominees represent college athletes from 16 different sports spanning all three NCAA divisions. Of those recognized, 58 nominees competed in Division I, 34 in Division II and 53 in Division III. In early September, the Woman of the Year selection committee will name the Top 30 honorees, which include 10 women from each division. At the end of September, the selection committee will select and announce nine finalists, with three from each division. The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics will select the 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year from those finalists. The Top 30 honorees will be celebrated and the 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year will be named at the annual banquet Oct. 22 in Indianapolis.