GORHAM, Maine – University of Southern Maine track & field national champion and Academic All-American Sophia Slovenski '23 (Cape Neddick, Maine) has been named one of the nine finalists for the 2023 NCAA Woman of the Year award.  Slovenski is the first University of Southern Maine, and Little East Conference student-athlete to earn Top 30 and Top 9 distinction for the coveted NCAA Woman of the Year honor. 
 
Established in 1991, the NCAA Woman of the Year award is rooted in Title IX and recognizes female student-athletes who have completed their undergraduate studies and distinguished themselves in their community, in athletics and in academics throughout their college careers.
 
The nine finalists consist of three student-athletes from each NCAA division. Representing Division I: Callie Dickinson, Georgia; Logan Eggleston, Texas; and Ellie Shahbo, Harvard.  The finalists from Division II are Peyton Barnes, Fairmont State; Charlotte Richards, Missouri-St. Louis; and Madi Wulfekotter, Central Missouri.  Division III finalists are Kristen Palmer, MIT; Anika Washburn, Case Western Reserve and Sophia Glory Slovenski, University of Southern Maine. 
 
Of the record-breaking 619 student-athletes nominated for this award, 164 student-athletes were selected as conference-level nominees.  That pool of student-athlete was narrowed to the national Top 30 honorees.  On January 1, the Top 30 honorees will be celebrated during a ceremony at the NCAA Convention in Phoenix. The 2023 NCAA Woman of the Year will be named as part of the ceremony.
 
The 2023 recipient of the Division III Commissioner's Association (DIIICA) Women's Sport Student-Athlete of the Year honor, Slovenski is a Summa Cum Laude graduate of the University of Southern Maine with a degree in Health Science and a minor in Holistic & Integrative Health.  A two-time first-team College Sports Communicators Academic All-American, Slovenski finished her undergraduate work with an outstanding 3.96 grade point average. 
 
Slovenski's time as a University of Southern Maine student-athlete is marked with achievement and awards, including the pinnacle of athletic excellence -  the title of National Champion. Slovenski claimed her championship with her school record and nation's best javelin throw at the 2021 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track & Field National Championship.  A three-time NCAA All-American in the javelin and pole vault, Slovenski concluded her tremendous career as a member of the Huskies' track & field teams as one of the most decorated and accomplished women to wear a University of Southern Maine uniform.  A six-time individual Little East Conference champion, Slovenski helped Southern Maine to a combined six team championship titles. 
 
The first Husky student-athlete to earn first team Academic All-American honors twice in their career (previously earning the award in 2020-2021), Slovenski is also the first female student-athlete in University of Southern Maine history to earn multiple Academic All-American citations.  Additionally, Slovenski has previously been named the 2022 recipient of the Department of Exercise, Health, and Sport Sciences Outstanding Health Sciences Student Award and was named the 2021-22 USM Student Government Association's Most Outstanding Student Leader of the Year.
 
A two-time winner of Huskies' Athletics' Paula D. Hodgdon Leadership Award (2023, 2022), Slovenski has been a leader for the Huskies' Athletics throughout her time as an undergraduate.  Serving as president of USM's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), in addition to establishing the University's Strong Girls United chapter, Sophia spearheaded several activities promoting mental health, including SAAC's  "Mental Health Sundays" and "Husky Fri-Yays," as well as organizing programming and providing mentorship and mindfulness activities to girls in the Gorham area. 
 
Recently completing the NYC Marathon TCS Marathon as a fundraising initiative for Strong Girls United, Slovenski currently working for Strong Girls United through the AmeriCorps VISTA program.
 

NOMINEE NAME	SCHOOL_NAME	CONFERENCE NAME	SPORT(S)
Peyton Barnes	Fairmont State University	Mountain East Conference	Acrobatics and tumbling
Callie Dickinson	University of Georgia	Southeastern Conference	Swimming and diving
Logan Eggleston	University of Texas at Austin	Big 12 Conference	Volleyball
Kristen Palmer	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference	Fencing
Charlotte Richards	University of Missouri-St. Louis	Great Lakes Valley Conference	Volleyball
Ellie Shahbo	Harvard University	The Ivy League	Field hockey
Sophia Glory Slovenski	University of Southern Maine	Little East Conference	Indoor track and field, outdoor track and field
Anika Washburn	Case Western Reserve University	University Athletic Association	Soccer
Madi Wulfekotter	University of Central Missouri	Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association	Indoor track and field, outdoor track and field