Atlantic 10 Release
Bronx, N.Y. – Fordham women's soccer standout
Nicole Bates joined an exclusive list today as she is one of 13 Atlantic 10 student-athletes nominated for the prestigious NCAA Woman of the Year Award. These impressive student-athletes, which were announced Tuesday by the A-10, represent nine sports and 11 different A-10 institutions.
A two-time all-conference honoree, Bates amassed several athletic and academic honors over her four years at Fordham. In 2016, she was named First Team All-Atlantic 10 and was also named NSCAA Third Team All-Mid Atlantic. During her junior campaign, she received second team All-Atlantic 10 honors and was named to the all-championship team after helping lead the Rams advance to the A-10 championship game. A four-year member of the Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll and the Dean's List, she was named Third Team Academic All-America®, First Team Academic All-District I, Atlantic 10 All-Academic and a NSCAA Scholar All East selection in 2016. She also received the Harter Award at the 2017 Block F Dinner, presented to the Gabelli School of Business senior athlete who has made significant academic and athletic contributions, and was a Fordham Leadership Academy Leader of Distinction. Bates also volunteered with several organizations while on campus including POTS, Susan's Place and Jacob's Place.
One of the most prestigious NCAA awards, the NCAA established the Woman of the Year Award in 1991 to celebrate the achievements of women in intercollegiate athletics. Now in its 27th year, the NCAA Woman of the Year award honors graduating female college athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves in academics, athletics, service and leadership throughout their collegiate careers.
The 2017 Atlantic 10 institutional nominees are recognized for being standout citizens with robust academic success, complimented by competitive athletic resumes, while sustaining dynamic leadership in their communities. The 13 candidates have noteworthy credentials, including All-American and Academic All-America honors, conference championships and All-Conference award winners, NCAA Championship success, and campus involvement, including serving as student-athlete leaders. A brief biography of each candidate, listed alphabetically by institution, is below.
The league's Senior Woman Administrators will vote on 12 of the nominees to select two who will represent the Atlantic 10 Conference in the 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year finalists. One nominee, gymnast Chelsea Raineri of George Washington, competes in a sport which is not sponsored by the Atlantic 10, and will be considered from among a national pool of candidates.
After the Atlantic 10 and all other leagues have selected up to two conference nominees, the Woman of the Year selection committee, made up of representatives from the NCAA membership, will then choose the top 30 honorees — 10 from each division. From the top 30, the selection committee determines the top three honorees from each division and announces the nine finalists in September. The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics then chooses the 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year from those nine. The top 30 honorees will be recognized and the 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year will be announced at the annual award ceremony Oct. 22 in Indianapolis.
About the Atlantic 10 Conference
The Atlantic 10 Conference was founded in 1975 and consists of 14 diverse members across eight states and Washington, D.C. The mission of the Atlantic 10 is to provide an enhanced student-athlete experience through 21 nationally competitive championship sports. The basketball-centric conference is committed to integrity, educational excellence and providing quality equitable championship experiences for its student-athletes, coaches, and support staff. The membership consists of Davidson College, the University of Dayton, Duquesne University, Fordham University, George Mason University, The George Washington University, La Salle University, the University of Massachusetts, the University of Rhode Island, University of Richmond, St. Bonaventure University, Saint Joseph's University, Saint Louis University and Virginia Commonwealth University. For more information, visit www.atlantic10.com.
