The nine finalists for the 2009 NCAA Woman of the Year award represent six NCAA national champions, four members of championship teams and three players of the year.

Finalists are Amanda Blumenherst (Duke, golf); Ashleigh Clare-Kearney (LSU, gymnastics); Julia Hopson (Fredonia State, track and field); Dani Huffman (Emory, volleyball); Venessa Lee (Pittsburg State, cross country/track and field); Tracy Menzel (Kenyon, swimming and diving); Lacey Nymeyer (Arizona, swimming and diving); Ashley Puga (Northwest Nazarene, cross country/track and field); and Kathleen Tafler (Grand Valley State, soccer).

The annual honor, which will be presented October 18 during a banquet in Indianapolis, recognizes female student-athletes who have excelled in athletics, academics and service and leadership.

The finalists – three from each NCAA division – advanced from an initial pool of 132 nominees from conferences and independent institutions that was then narrowed to 30 semifinalists – 10 each from Divisions I, II and III.

Following are summaries of the finalists’ accomplishments:

Amanda Blumenherst, Duke, Golf

A three-time National Golf Coaches Association and Golfweek national player of the year, Blumenherst was part of two Blue Devils national championship teams and three Atlantic Coast Conference titlists. The two-time Honda Award winner and four-time conference player of the year led Duke to 19 tournament victories during her career. Her 12 career individual wins tied a school record. Blumenherst captured the 2008 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship and was a member of the United States’ 2006 and 2008 Curtis Cup teams.

Blumenherst, a history major, twice earned ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America honors and was recognized as the 2008 ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year for women’s golf. She also was a three-time all-ACC academic and ACC honor roll choice.

In addition to serving on Duke’s student-athlete advisory committee executive board, Blumenherst led an initiative that raised more than $1,800 to purchase gifts for families in need during the winter holidays.

Excerpt from personal statement: “My time in college has prepared me for the future, both on and off the golf course, and I am excited to take the talents and experiences I have been given to help others.”

Ashleigh Clare-Kearney, LSU

Gymnastics

Clare-Kearney owns NCAA national championships in the vault and the floor exercise. The first-team all-American and first-team all-Southeastern Conference pick was the league’s all-around and floor champion in 2008. That same year, Clare-Kearney was named as the SEC athlete of the year. She has 114 individual career titles and five perfect scores to her credit.

Clare-Kearney, a three-time SEC academic honor roll selection, earned a bachelor’s degree in English in 2008 and is working on a master’s degree in sports management. She also was named as an LSU Scholar-Athlete three times and twice earned the LSU Athletic Director’s Cup for Academic Excellence.

A two-time captain of the Tigers’ gymnastics team, Clare-Kearney was a 2007 NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Conference participant. Twice chosen as a member of the SEC Good Works Team for her efforts in the community, she was president of LSU’s student-athlete advisory committee as a senior. Clare-Kearney also served as a Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Gustav relief worker and as a Habitat for Humanity volunteer.

Excerpt from personal statement: “I am empowered despite my odds as a black female and feel prepared to contribute to society because of my experiences as a student, athlete and volunteer.”

Julia Hopson, Fredonia State

Track and field

An NCAA national champion in the 20-pound weight throw, Hopson, a five-time all-American, was the 2008-09 Atlantic Region Female Field Athlete of the Year. In addition to earning 13 SUNYAC titles, she holds league records in the 20-pound weight throw and the hammer. Hopson also was a five-time ECAC champion.

Hopson, an academic all-American, was a Dean’s List and Commissioner’s List selection and earned the SUNY Chancellor’s Award. A three-time team captain, she was a 2008 NCAA National Student-Athlete Development Conference participant. Hopson, a graphic-design major, was one of 13 NCAA student-athlete artists featured in NCAA Champion magazine and in Statements, a student-athlete art show at the 2009 NCAA Convention in Washington, D.C.

A member of the campus student-athlete advisory committee, Hopson led team efforts in a community-service project to rake leaves for those who couldn’t do it themselves. She also helped plan a dodgeball tournament to raise money for a local food kitchen.

Excerpt from personal statement: “In 2008 I was chosen to attend the NCAA National Student-Athlete Development Conference, where I learned that I was different than most college students. I learned that as athletes, we are role models for those around us and also for those we don’t even know are watching us. This inspired me to be the leader that others saw in me.”

Dani Huffman, Emory

Volleyball

Huffman, a middle blocker, earned Most Outstanding Player honors during Emory’s run to the 2008 Division III women’s volleyball title. The American Volleyball Coaches Association first-team all-South Region and first-team all-University Athletic Association pick was the female recipient of the Bridges Award as Emory’s most outstanding all-around athlete.

An NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipient, Huffman was a 2009 Phi Beta Kappa inductee. A three-time team captain, she was a 2008 CoSIDA third-team Academic All-American and was named to the UAA all-academic team three times. She majored in American Studies and French Studies and plans to pursue a master’s degree in special education at Azusa Pacific University.

Off the court, Huffman taught Chinese students about the Bible on a 2005 mission trip to Chengdu, China, and traveled to India to build an orphanage during a second mission trip in July of this year. She also volunteered at the Atlanta Hospital Hospitality House and participated in the Eggelstein Hospital Children’s Reading Program.

Excerpt from personal statement: “My servant’s heart drives my life, a life that I hope will benefit children with disabilities and others, and provide them with the same passion for learning and living that my parents instilled in me.”

Venessa Lee, Pittsburg State

Cross country, track and field

Lee was a three-time national champion in the 800 meters for Pittsburg State. The five-time all-American also captured 13 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association track and field titles. She was captain of the Gorillas’ track and field squad as a senior and was named as the 2008-09 Ken B. Jones Award recipient as the conference’s female student-athlete of the year.

An ESPN the Magazine first-team Academic All-American, Lee, who graduated in May, majored in biology and Spanish with minors in chemistry and physical science. She was a three-time all-MIAA academic pick and was recognized on the Dean’s Scholastic Honor Roll and the All A’s Scholastic Honor Roll. A member of Tri Beta Biology Honors Society, Lee earned biology departmental honors and the Spanish Meritorious Achievement Award.

In addition to serving as a senator on the Student Government Association Senate, Lee was the campus affairs director for the Student Government Association Cabinet. She also volunteered with Big Brothers and Big Sisters, Habitat for Humanity, Special Olympics and a free health clinic.

Excerpt from personal statement: “My athletics pursuits and scholastic achievements have taught me life lessons and developed in me qualities that I will use throughout my life. Through these experiences, I have obtained appreciation of delayed gratification, self-motivation driven from within, and aspiration to be the best.”

Tracy Menzel, Kenyon

Swimming and diving

Menzel was a member of three NCAA Division III championship teams and three North Coast Conference titlists. The all-American was a 12-time all-conference selection who owns NCAA individual titles in the 100-yard breaststroke and the 200-yard medley relay. She earned the 2009 Daniel G. Ray Memorial Award as the varsity swimmer chosen by teammates and the coach as the most valuable member of the squad.

A Phi Beta Kappa, Menzel was an NCAA postgraduate scholarship recipient. The ESPN the Magazine Academic-All American was given Kenyon’s Doris B. Crozier Award, which is presented to a student who was instrumental in developing major changes for the betterment of the social and intellectual life of the student body. 

Menzel served as a peer advisor for first-year students and as a student member of the women and gender studies department advisory board. She also was co-manager of the Crozier Center for Women.

Excerpt from personal statement: “Throughout my academic and athletics career at Kenyon, I have learned that with success and privilege come responsibility – to myself, to my teammates and to my community. My major, women’s studies and gender studies, has taught me the importance of tying education to social action.” 

Lacey Nymeyer, Arizona

Swimming and diving

Nymeyer, a silver medalist in the 400-meter freestyle relay at the Summer Olympics in Beijing, helped lead Arizona to the 2008 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming and Diving team championship. She also captured a gold medal at the 2007 FINA World Championships in the 800-meter freestyle relay. The two-time Pacific-10 Conference swimmer of the year and 26-time all-American also earned NCAA individual titles in the 100- and 200-yard freestyles.

The physical education major was a first-team all-Pac-10 pick and a four-time University of Arizona Academic Champion. The 2007-08 Toyo Tires Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Nymeyer also was recognized as the State Farm Pride of the Pac-10 medal winner.

Away from the pool, Nymeyer visited Haven House for Women and Casa De Los Ninos House for Children as part of team service projects. In addition to teaching swimming lessons to 5-9 year olds, she has been a speaker at middle schools and youth sports banquets.

Excerpt from personal statement: “Without the opportunities provided to me through my participation in college athletes, I doubt I would have such a clear sense of self-worth and purpose outside the skills of my sport.”

Ashley Puga, Northwest Nazarene

Cross country, track and field

A two-time NCAA national champion in the 800 meters, Puga was the 2008-09 U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches of America’s Division II Women’s Track Athlete of the Year (2008-09). She also was honored as the USTFCCCA Division II West Region indoor track and field women’s track athlete of the year. The nine-time all-American, who established 10 school records, has seven conference titles to her credit and was chosen as the 2008 GNAC Female Athlete of the Year.

Puga graduated summa cum laude in May after majoring in accounting and business administration. Selected as the 2008-09 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, she also was a three-time all-conference academic choice.

In addition to volunteering as a peer mentor, Puga participated in a student-led club that invested $100,000 of the university endowment fund. She also created a capital markets program for high school students and was co-leader of Idaho and Beyond, a program targeting fourth-graders that focused on Idaho agriculture and world trade.

Excerpt from personal statement: “I have learned the value of having others around me, the importance of maintaining a balanced life and the results of working diligently. Whether I am reaching out as a peer mentor, competing with athletes at a national level, working on a group project or receiving instruction from coaches and professors, I can see the value each person contributes to my life.”

Kathleen Tafler, Grand Valley State

Soccer

Tafler, a two-time Daktronics Division II player of the year, is the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference’s all-time leader in goals and points. The three-time conference offensive player of the year is the only player in league history to record at least 40 goals and 40 assists. The Daktronics and National Soccer Coaches Association of America first-team all-American ranks third in NCAA history in goals (114) and points (269).

 A 2008 NCAA Today’s Top VIII Award recipient and the 2008 ESPN the Magazine College Division Academic All-American of the Year, Tafler also was a two-time coaches association scholar-athlete. She twice earned the GLIAC Commissioner’s Award for Academic and Athletic Excellence and made the Dean’s List from 2005-09. Tafler, a biomedical sciences major, graduated in the spring.

Tafler was a child life volunteer at Helen Devos Children’s Hospital, a patient transport volunteer with St. Mary’s Health Care, and an emergency room volunteer at Trillium Health Care. She participated on the campus student-athlete advisory committee and assisted with the Michigan Science Olympiad as an event helper and competition judge. 

Excerpt from personal statement: “Through athletics, I gained the clarity to focus on academics and participate in my community. These experiences have made me into the driven person I am today and will enable me to achieve my goals.”