LYNCHBURG, Va. --- Thirty women, selected from a group of nominees from more than 446 schools, have been chosen as the top honorees for the 2014 NCAA Woman of the Year award, including 2013 Lynchburg College women's soccer standout Rachel Sadowski.

A group of ten women from each of the three divisions make up the top 30, spanning various NCAA sports. In September, three finalists from each division will be selected to make up the nine finalists for the award. The 2014 Woman of the Year will be announced at an annual ceremony in Indianapolis on October 19 that all 30 nominees are invited to attend.

The top 30 honorees reflect the pillars of the Woman of the Year award, with outstanding achievements in academics, athletics, community service, and leadership.

• Cumulatively, the top 30 earned a 3.85 grade-point average and nearly 49 Capital One Academic All-America honors.
• The top 30 earned 27 national championships (individual and team) and more than 38 All-America honors.
• The top 30 accumulated 24,000 hours of community service during their college careers.
• There were 27 who served as team captains and 20 held leadership positions in their chapters of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

Sadowski encompasses all of these attributes, finishing her undergraduate degree with a 3.97 grade-point average while studying environmental science. She was recipient of the 2014 NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship which she intends to use to study marine science after spending the summer gaining more field research experience in wetland ecology, volunteering with the Delaware Center for Inland Bays. She is currently pursuing other research opportunities in preparation for graduate school.

A force on the field, Sadowski received numerous accolades as a junior and senior. She was named VaSID College Division Player of the Year in 2012, while also receiving first team laurels at the state, conference, region, and national levels both years. She earned Academic All-American honors following her junior and senior campaigns.

Gloria Nevarez, NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee chair and senior associate commissioner for the Pac-12 Conference, described the extraordinary commitment to academics and athletics by each of the top 30 honorees.

"These women are perfect examples of NCAA student-athletes succeeding on the field, in the classroom and in life," said Nevarez. "We are impressed by their outstanding achievements, and no matter the paths they take after college, we are confident that they will continue to lead their peers for many years to come."

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--- This release is courtesy of the Lynchburg College sports information department. ---
athletics.lynchburg.edu