Former American Athletic Conference student-athletes Avery Acker (SMU) and Morgan Tuck (UConn) have been selected as nominees for the 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year award.
A two-time CoSIDA Academic All-America selection and 2015 Academic All-American of the Year, Acker led the Mustang volleyball program to a school-best 27 wins and the program's first conference championship in 2015. SMU finished with a 27-6 mark overall and 17-3 record in conference play to earn The American's automatic bid to the NCAA Championship. Acker led the NCAA with 12.45 assists per set, while also setting an SMU and American single-season record with 1,482 assists.
Tuck earned mention as an All-American by the WBCA and was a second-team All-America selection by the Associated Press following the 2015-16 season. She helped lead the UConn women’s basketball team to an undefeated season in 2015-16 and an unprecedented fourth-straight National Championship. Tuck was second on the team at 13.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per contest last season.
The NCAA Woman of the Year award honors graduating female student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership. This year, 515 honorees were nominated, the most ever in the history of the Woman of the Year program. This marks the 26th year of the Woman of the Year Award program, which was established in 1991.
The NCAA selection committee will choose the top 10 honorees within Divisions I, II and III. From those 30 candidates, the selection committee will determine the top three in each division. The Committee on Women's Athletics will select the 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year, and the winner will be announced at a ceremony on Sunday, October 16 in Indianapolis.