Former Case Western Reserve University women's soccer star student-athlete Anika Washburn was selected as one of the nine finalists for the 2023 NCAA Woman of the Year Award as announced by the NCAA on Monday.
She is the first student-athlete in CWRU history to be named a finalist for the award. Last month, Washburn became just the third woman in university history to be named a Top 30 honoree for the award.
Rooted in Title IX, the NCAA Woman of the Year Award was established in 1991 to recognize graduating female student-athletes who have completed their eligibility and distinguished themselves in academics, athletics, service, and leadership throughout their collegiate careers.
The nine finalists named by the Woman of the Year Selection Committee consist of three student-athletes from each NCAA division. Each finalist was selected for her outstanding achievements in academics, athletics, community service, and leadership.
Representing Division I, the finalists are Callie Dickinson from the University of Georgia, Logan Eggleston from the University of Texas, and Ellie Shahbo from Harvard University (Mass.). The finalists from Division II are Peyton Barnes from Fairmont State University (W.Va.), Charlotte Richards from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, and Madi Wulfekotter from the University of Central Missouri. Division III finalists are Washburn, Kristen Palmer from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Sophia Glory Slovenski from the University of Southern Maine.
Of 619 student-athletes nominated for this award, 164 student-athletes were selected as conference-level nominees. That pool of student-athletes was narrowed to the national Top 30 honorees.
Washburn became the first CWRU student-athlete to be named to the Academic All-America team four times in a single sport with two First Team and two Second Team honors. A two-time All-America selection and two-time University Athletic Association Women's Soccer Offensive Player of the Year, she helped lead the Spartans to their first UAA women's soccer title and a national finalist finish in 2022. She is the program's single-season and career record holder in goals, points, and game-winning goals.
In each of her five years at CWRU, including 2020 when fall sports were canceled due to the pandemic, Washburn was part of the Girls Who Code Club (GWC, an international non-profit), including three years as co-president of the group that hosted 10-week sessions each semester to support and increase the number of girls and women in computer science and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in the Cleveland area.
On January 11, Washburn, along with all Top 30 honorees, will be celebrated during a ceremony at the NCAA Convention in Phoenix. There, the 2023 NCAA Woman of the Year will be named.
