The NCAA Woman of the Year Award honors standout female student-athletes who have achieved excellence in academics, athletics and community leadership.

The 2004 state winners represent 12 sports. Thirty winners are from Division I schools, and 11 each are from Divisions II and III.

Each NCAA member institution was invited to nominate one student-athlete. For the fifth straight year, schools that submitted an ethnic minority candidate also were allowed to submit a second nominee. Twenty-six schools, the same number as in 2003, took advantage of the opportunity to do so.

The total number of applications, however, dropped from 338 in 2003 to 276 this year. Division I submitted 138 nominations, Division II submitted 42 and Division III submitted 96. It was the first year since 1998 that the total number of nominations fell below 300.

A committee composed of representatives from member institutions chose the state honorees. That same committee will chose 10 finalists from among the 52 state winners. Selection criteria include grade-point average, athletics accomplishments and community service.

The 10 finalists will be announced in the September 27 issue of The NCAA News.

The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics will choose a national winner from among the 10 finalists. The national honoree will be announced during the 2004 NCAA Woman of the Year dinner October 31 in Indianapolis.

Dot Richardson, a former U.S. Olympic gold medal winner in softball, and Sheri Coale, head women's basketball coach at the University of Oklahoma, will emcee the 14th annual event.

As part of the NCAA Woman of the Year weekend activities, the 2004 honorees will visit Indianapolis-area middle schools to speak with children about their experiences as student-athletes and about balancing academics and athletics.

Ashley Jo Rowatt, a former swimming student-athlete at Kenyon College, was named as the 2003 Woman of the Year. Rowatt was the first Division III student-athlete to win the award.

Woman of the Year State winners