The NCAA announced the 2016 Woman of the Year conference honorees Wednesday. Division III represented 51 out of 142 athletes honored including State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) athletes Sasa Vann (Mastic Beach/Bishop McGann-Mercy) and Dani Ackerman (Nesconset, N.Y./Smithtown East).
In early September, the Woman of the Year selection committee will name the Top 30 honorees, representing the top 10 women in each division. The selection committee will then choose and announce the nine finalists, with three from each division, at the end of September. Then, from the pool of nine finalists, the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics will determine the 2016 Woman of the Year.
The Top 30 honorees will be celebrated and the 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year will be named at the annual banquet Oct. 16 in Indianapolis.
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.The award encompasses four pillars including academics, athletics, service and leadership.
