The Woman of the Year Selection Committee has named nine student-athletes from the Top 30 honoree pool as finalists for the 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year award.
The nine finalists 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 Jaeda Daniel, NC State; Brooke Forde, Stanford; and Victoria Tran, Navy. Zoe Baker, Colorado School of Mines; Kayla Tennant, Queens (North Carolina); and Hanna Thrainsdottir, Georgian Court, are the finalists from Division II. Division III finalists include Karenna Groff, MIT; Macy Klein, St. Catherine; and Erin Nicholas, Middlebury.
Of 577 student-athletes nominated for this award, 156 student-athletes were selected as conference-level nominees. That pool of student-athletes was narrowed to the national Top 30 honorees.
On Jan. 12, the Top 30 honorees will be celebrated during a luncheon at the NCAA Convention in San Antonio. There, the 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year will be named.
Read the finalists' biographies, including excerpts from their personal statements, to learn more about each of them:
Zoe Baker
Division II
School: Colorado School of Mines
Conference: Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
Sports: Cross country, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field
Majors: Computer science; applied mathematics and statistics
Hometown: Longmont, Colorado
"My time as an undergraduate student-athlete has given me so much beyond just engineering skills and athletic opportunities. At Mines, I have become involved in mentorship and advocacy. After graduation, I hope to continue to stay involved in mentorship through avenues such as adjunct instruction at a university, tutoring and organizations like NCWIT."
Zoe Baker is a nine-time U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-American, including seven first-team honors. She finished third in the 5,000 meters at the 2021 NCAA Division II Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships and contributed to a third-place team finish at the 2019 cross country championships. A three-time RMAC individual champion, Baker won the cross country title in 2020, the 3,000 meters (indoor) in 2020 and the 10,000 meters (outdoor) in 2021. She holds four school records. She was named College Sports Communicators Academic All-America Team Member of the Year for Division II women's track and field/cross country in 2022, also earning first-team honors in 2021 and second-team honors in 2020. Baker was a two-time NCAA Elite 90 Award recipient, presented to the student-athlete with the highest grade-point average competing at an NCAA championship finals site. A research ambassador and mentor for the MInDS@Mines undergraduate research team, she contributed to projects on degenerative diseases and COVID-19 mortality. She received the 2022 William D. Waltman Award, the school's highest honor for a graduate. Baker also volunteered as a math and science tutor for local high school students and as a presenter with the National Center for Women & Information Technology. She is completing her Master of Computer Science at Colorado School of Mines, with research focused on game theoretic updates of networks.
Jaeda Daniel
Division I
School: North Carolina State University
Conference: Atlantic Coast Conference
Sport: Tennis
Major: Psychology
Hometown: Newtown Square, Pennsylvania
"My entire life I have had exactly three goals: to be a professional tennis player competing in grand slams, to become a lawyer, and most importantly, to use either or both of those paths to give back to the less fortunate. … Through whichever path I end up taking, my goals remain the same, and my time as a student-athlete has prepared me to succeed in every area I choose to follow."
Jaeda Daniel was the 2022 doubles national champion, claiming the first national title for the NC State women's tennis program. She earned Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-America honors in singles and doubles in 2022, ranking first in the nation in doubles and as high as eighth in singles during the season, and was an ITA All-American in doubles in 2021. The 2022 first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection received the 2022 ITA Most Improved Senior Award and NC State's H.C. Kennett Award, the highest athletic honor for a student-athlete. A summa cum laude graduate, Daniel was a four-time ITA Scholar-Athlete, earning the honor three times at NC State and once at Auburn. She also was a nominee for the 2021 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Award. In 2021, she was inducted into Chi Alpha Sigma, a national honor society that recognizes student-athletes for their success in the classroom and athletics. She served as communications chair for the campus Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and as the Atlantic Coast SAAC representative. Daniel was a leader in Pack United, a student-athlete-led group dedicated to providing awareness, education and action on social issues. She served as vice chair of the group and chair of its fundraising committee. She also volunteered with the Boys and Girls Clubs in Raleigh, North Carolina, and mentored local middle school students of color. Daniel completed her master's in textiles at NC State in 2022 and is playing tennis professionally.
Brooke Forde
Division I
School: Stanford University
Conference: Pac-12 Conference
Sport: Swimming and diving
Major: Human biology
Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky
"I came to Stanford as a swimmer. I am now leaving it as a well-rounded person. I achieved my dreams academically and athletically, but along the way I also accomplished goals beyond goals — experiences that have given my college life a new depth."
Five-time individual national champion Brooke Forde was a member of two NCAA championship teams (2019, 2018) and was a 19-time College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America All-American, including 18 first-team honors. A six-time Pac-12 champion, she ranks second all-time at Stanford in the 500-yard freestyle. Forde has represented the U.S. in international competition, winning a silver medal in the 800 free relay at the 2020 Olympic Games and competing in the 400 individual medley at the 2019 FINA World Championships. She was the 2021 College Sports Communicators Academic All-America NCAA Division I At-Large Team Member of the Year and earned first-team recognitions in 2020 and 2022. Forde was named 2021 Pac-12 Women's Swimming and Diving Scholar-Athlete of the Year. She was the co-president of the Stanford Student-Athlete Sustainability Committee and created the Pac-12 Sustainability Committee. She also assisted in creating a sustainability in athletics course at Stanford that has been recognized by the United Nations. Forde received Stanford's 2022 James Lyons Award for Service, recognizing her commitment to environmental sustainability efforts and her volunteer work with the Special Olympics. She completed her master's in epidemiology at Stanford in 2022 and is currently serving a two-year assignment with the Peace Corps as a public health officer in rural Peru.
Karenna Groff
Division III
School: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Conference: New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference
Sport: Soccer
Major: Biological engineering
Hometown: Weston, Massachusetts
"I am indescribably appreciative of my athletic experiences growing up, which have empowered me to act as a leader and find success in the classroom, in the lab and beyond. As I pursue a career in medicine, I will carry the lessons I have learned from soccer with me and will remain committed to increasing access to quality medical care."
Forward Karenna Groff was a member of three NEWMAC championship teams and led her team to three NCAA tournaments, advancing to the quarterfinals in 2021. She earned United Soccer Coaches All-America second-team honors in 2021 and was named the Division III Commissioners Association Region II Women's Student-Athlete of the Year in 2022. The two-time All-NEWMAC first-team honoree holds the second-fastest hat trick in Division III history at 51 seconds. In 2022, she received an inaugural NEWMAC Student-Athlete of the Year Award, which recognizes academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership. Groff was a two-time College Sports Communicators Academic All-American, earning first-team recognition in 2021 and second-team honors in 2020. The 2022 Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society inductee published seven abstracts and four peer-reviewed papers on topics including epilepsy research and global health equity. A two-year team captain, Groff serves as the co-president of the campus Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and co-founded OpenPPE in 2020 to help address the global shortage of personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Groff also developed and instructs an online MITx course on the impact of COVID-19 in slums, and she helped implement software to reduce maternal mortality in Tamil Nadu, India, which saw a 50.1% decrease in maternal mortality during a two-year pilot study. She is currently completing her Master of Engineering in biomedical engineering at MIT.
Macy Klein
Division III
School: St. Catherine University
Conference: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Sport: Swimming and diving
Major: Exercise and sport science
Hometown: Apple Valley, Minnesota
"All of this — the lifelong friends, mentors and so much more — are what I had to gain from my student-athlete experience, giving me the strength to step into my future. My student-athlete experience shaped me into who I am today and the person I can be for my future co-workers, partner, friends, children and country. I am armed with my story as a student-athlete. No one can take that away from me, and for that I will forever be grateful."
Macy Klein was a 10-time College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America All-American, recording eight first-team honors and two second-team honors. She helped lead her team to 2020 and 2022 MIAC championships and a 10th-place finish in the 2022 NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships. An 18-time MIAC all-conference honoree and 12-time MIAC champion, Klein holds six records at St. Catherine. She was selected as a 2020 College Sports Communicators Academic All-America At-Large third-team honoree and was the 2020 MIAC Elite 22 recipient for the highest cumulative grade-point average at the conference championships. She was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa in 2022 and was a member of Chi Alpha Sigma, a national honor society that recognizes student-athletes for their success in athletics and the classroom. A member of St. Catherine's Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps since 2018, Klein became the Minnesota Detachment 410 Cadet Wing vice commander and professional development officer in 2021. Klein received the 2022 Air Force ROTC Distinguished Graduate Award, given to the top 10% of graduates nationally. She was recently commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force with a job assignment of remotely piloted aircraft pilot and will report in May for a six- to 10-year service commitment.
Erin Nicholas
Division III
School: Middlebury College
Conference: New England Small College Athletic Conference
Sports: Field hockey, lacrosse
Major: Molecular biology/biochemistry
Hometown: Scarsdale, New York
"Being a student-athlete has taught me the typical lessons of time management, hard work, commitment, humility and more, but the most valuable lesson I've learned is how to be a contributing member of society. My proudest achievement as an athlete is the individual I've become."
Erin Nicholas was a six-time national champion, earning four field hockey titles and two lacrosse titles, and made history as a member of the first Division III team to win four consecutive NCAA field hockey championships. The overall 2022 DIII Honda Athlete of the Year was a three-time National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division III National Player of the Year and two-time NCAA tournament Most Outstanding Player. A three-time NFHCA first-team All-American and two-time Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association first-team All-American, Nicholas was named the Division III Commissioners Association Region I Women's Student-Athlete of the Year and earned three NESCAC Field Hockey Player of the Year awards. She received Middlebury's A. Bayard Russ '66 Memorial Athletic Award and holds seven top-10 listings in Middlebury's field hockey and lacrosse record books. Her teams had a combined record of 151-9 during her time at Middlebury. A summa cum laude graduate, Nicholas was a three-time first-team College Sports Communicators Academic All-American. She earned Middlebury's 2022 Charles B. Allen '62 Memorial Prize for biology, chemistry and physics, and she contributed to published research on iliopsoas muscle tightness and lower back pain in ice hockey players in 2020. The field hockey and lacrosse captain was a member of her campus Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and served as a SAAC liaison to the Student Government Association Athletic Affairs Committee. Nicholas was a campus ambassador for Morgan's Message, which aims to eliminate the stigma surrounding student-athlete mental health issues. Nicholas is working as a clinical research assistant and is applying to attend medical school.
Kayla Tennant
Division II
School: Queens University of Charlotte
Conference: Bluegrass Mountain Conference
Sport: Swimming and diving
Majors: Biology; psychology
Hometown: Lexington, North Carolina
"My experiences at Queens shaped me into a confident young woman capable of bouncing back from any challenge. … Though the challenges in medicine will be different, because of my journey as a student-athlete, I will continue to get back up when faced with adversity and be even better than before to serve others."
Kayla Tennant was a three-time individual national champion, winning the 400-yard freestyle relay in 2022 and the 200 and 400 medley relays in 2021. She led her team to three national championships and earned 11 College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America All-America honors, including seven first-team recognitions. The 18-time All-Bluegrass Mountain Conference honoree won six individual conference titles, helping her team claim four conference championships. Tennant holds the school record for the 100 butterfly. A summa cum laude graduate, she received two first-team College Sports Communicators Academic All-American At-Large recognitions. Tennant was a finalist for the 2022 NCAA Walter Byers Graduate Scholarship and a recipient of a 2022 NCAA Elite 90 Award, presented to the student-athlete with the highest grade-point average competing at an NCAA championship finals site. The 2022 Queens Outstanding Student in Biology and Outstanding Student in Psychology has published research on student-athletes' social supports during the pandemic and the genome annotation of novel bacteriophages. Tennant was a team captain and served as secretary of Unified Royals, promoting inclusion for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. As a volunteer, she assisted with care for children with developmental disabilities and behavioral disorders, patients in pediatric cardiac intensive care and adults in a medically underserved area needing specialty cardiac care. She is currently attending medical school at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Hanna Thrainsdottir
Division II
School: Georgian Court University
Conference: Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference
Sports: Basketball, outdoor track and field
Majors: Digital communication; psychology
Hometown: Hafnarfjordur, Iceland
"Throughout my time at Georgian Court, I not only realized my dream of becoming the best basketball player I could be, but I also discovered dreams I did not know I had, dreams of using my voice and changing the world for the better. ... Through being a student-athlete, I found both my passions and my purpose in life, which I know will lead me in the right direction in the future."
Two-time CACC champion Hanna Thrainsdottir was a member of the 2021 CACC regular-season champion basketball team, leading her team to the second round of the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball East Regional. She also was a member of the 2022 CACC outdoor champion track and field team, placing third in the high jump. Thrainsdottir was chosen by the Icelandic Fulbright Commission for a 2022 Fulbright Fellowship. The two-time Georgian Court Scholar-Athlete of the Year received the 2022 Academic Excellence Award and the 2022 School of Business and Digital Media Advisory Council Emerging Leader Award. A 2021 Division II Athletics Directors Association Academic Achievement Award recipient, she earned the CACC's Top XVI Award for the student-athlete with the highest grade-point average at a championship. She received Georgian Court's 2021 Award for Excellence in Academics, Research and Community Service in Psychology and has presented at academic conferences on media studies and psychology. On campus, Thrainsdottir served as president of LGBTQ@GCU and was a member of the programming committee for the Council for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. A journalist with the student-run newspaper, she was a member of the School of Business and Digital Media Student Advisory Council and mentored new international students through the Office of Global Education. Thrainsdottir is completing her master's in media, culture and communication at New York University.
Victoria Tran
Division I
School: U.S. Naval Academy
Conference: Patriot League
Sport: Soccer
Major: Robotics and control engineering
Hometown: Clarksville, Maryland
"The most important lesson I learned, however, is that these lessons and experiences I've had are not separated into lessons learned in the classroom, on the field or as a midshipman. They intertwine, reinforce and emphasize each other, and the culminating experience has developed me holistically."
Victoria Tran was a two-time United Soccer Coaches All-Region selection, earning north region first-team honors in 2020 and third-team honors in 2019. The 2020-21 Patriot League Midfielder of the Year was a four-time All-Patriot League honoree and led her team to two league championship titles, scoring the game-winning goal in 2019. Tran contributed to Navy's 2020 and 2019 NCAA tournament appearances. She was the Navy Class of 2022's recipient of the Cheryl Dolyniuk Carlan Trophy, given to a female midshipman who excelled in athletics, leadership and academics throughout her four years. She was a two-time College Sports Communicators Academic All-American, with first-team honors in 2020 and third team in 2019. The Patriot League Women's Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2020 and 2021, Tran graduated ranked 11th in her class for Overall Order of Merit, determined by performance in academics, conduct, physical education, athletics and aptitude for commissioning, and sixth in Military Order of Merit. She served as an operations officer and a supply/wardroom officer for Navy's 12th Company (2021-22) and as a platoon sergeant and an academics sergeant with Navy's 2nd Platoon (2020-2021). Tran volunteered with Athletes for Hope for two years, and she was a three-year volunteer with Special Olympics and Mids for Kids. She is currently completing her graduate studies at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.
