INDIANAPOLIS, Ill. – The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has announced the 455 female student-athletes who were nominated for the 2013 NCAA Woman of the Year award and Mount Holyoke College student-athlete Nora Cunningham was this year's selection for the Institution. Of the 455 nominees, 214 participated in Division I, 90 participated in Division II, and 151 participated in Division III athletics.
The Woman of the Year award honors graduating female student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership.
Cunningham, a native of Bronx, N.Y., was Mount Holyoke's nominee for 2013. A four-year standout and captain of the swimming & diving team, she graduated in May 2013 with a degree in Sociology. Heavily involved in the MHC community, she was a four-year instructor and mentor through the Lyons' swim lesson program. Additionally, she served as a volunteer through the after school program at the Peck School.
In addition to her volunteer work, which also included stints at the Gorse Children's Center and the Urban Education Initiative, she was a member of the Senior Class Board and also served as the co-chair and public relations coordinator of MHC's La Liga Filipina Organization.
As a member of the swimming & diving team at Mount Holyoke, Cunningham had a number of outstanding performances. Among her top efforts came at the 2013 Seven Sisters Championships, where she earned All-Tournament recognition after helping the 200-medley relay team to victory. She also garnered All-Seven Sisters honors in 2010 with a win in the 400-freestyle relay.
The former Stuyvesant High School standout, who has earned multiple scholarships, graduated in May as a three-time selection to the NEWMAC Academic All-Conference team, while also earning Seven Sisters Senior Scholar Athlete recognition.
Following submission via the individual institutions to their conference office, the league selects one or two women from the nominees to represent the conference. Those names are then sent to the Woman of the Year selection committee, which chooses the top 10 honorees in each division.
From among those 30 candidates, the selection committee determines the top three in each division and announces the top nine finalists in September. The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics will then vote from among the finalists to determine the 2013 NCAA Woman of the Year.
The top 30 honorees will be honored, and the 2013 NCAA Woman of the Year winner will be announced, at the annual ceremony in Indianapolis on Oct. 20.
