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Peters Named Top-9 Finalist for NCAA Woman of the Year
10/2/2018 1:05:00 PM | Women's Hockey
Sidney Peters is one of the top-nine finalists for the 2018 NCAA Woman of the Year Award
MINNEAPOLIS -- Golden Gopher women's hockey alumna Sidney Peters, who graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in Kinesiology last spring, is one of nine finalists for the 2018 NCAA Woman of the Year Award, the NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee announced Tuesday. Peters competed for the Gophers for five seasons and wrapped up her career last season, receiving the 2018 Hockey Humanitarian Award and leading Minnesota to the 2018 WCHA Final Faceoff title.
The top-nine finalists include three women from each NCAA division. Their college careers were highlighted by outstanding achievements in academics, athletics, community service, and leadership. Joining Peters in representing NCAA Division I are Vanessa Shippy from Oklahoma State (softball) and Keturah Orji from Georgia (indoor and outdoor track & field).
The Division II finalists are Trisana Fairweather of Claflin University (cross country and indoor and outdoor track & field), Delaney Hiegert of Newman University (softball), and Kami Norton of Angelo State (indoor and outdoor track & field), and the Division III finalists are Ade Ayoola of the University of Chicago (indoor and outdoor track & field), Amelia Wilhelm of Bates College (rowing), and Kayla Leland of Whitworth University (basketball, cross country, and indoor and outdoor track & field).
"I feel very honored to be named as a top-nine finalist for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award," Peters said. "I want to congratulate the other finalists on this accomplishment and say thank you to the NCAA for a wonderful undergraduate experience. I wouldn't be who I am today without the lessons I learned as a student-athlete or the people that I met through college hockey."
From the top-nine finalists, the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics will name the 2018 NCAA Woman of the Year. The Top 30 finalists will be celebrated and the Woman of the Year will be named on Sunday, Oct. 28 at a ceremony in Indianapolis. The NCAA Woman of the Year program has recognized graduating female student-athletes for excellence in academics, athletics, community service and leadership since its inception in 1991.
Peters was a four-year letter winner for the University of Minnesota women's hockey team, completing five years on the team from 2013-14 to 2017-18. A two-time NCAA national champion, she appeared in 82 games with a career record of 53-17-6. After seeing limited playing time her first two seasons in uniform, Peters backstopped the Gophers to the 2017 NCAA Frozen Four and led the Maroon & Gold to the 2018 WCHA Final Faceoff title and the league's automatic NCAA tournament berth as a senior. Her 53 wins, 16 shutouts, 1.65 goals against average, and 1,464 total saves all rank fifth among all-time Gopher goaltenders. Peters wrapped up her career ranked sixth in program history with a .921 career save percentage as well.
Peters' contributions on the ice are only topped by her impact in the community as she logged over 830 hours of community outreach and volunteer activities during her Gopher career. A certified Emergency Medical Technician, Peters spent significant time volunteering with the University of Minnesota EMS and the Rush-Copley Emergency Department in Aurora, Ill., near her hometown of Geneva, Ill. She also traveled to Haiti during the summer of 2016 with Project Medishare and spent eight days volunteering at Hospital Bernard Mevs, the country's only critical care and trauma hospital.
"As I prepared for a career as a physician in the United States Air Force, I wanted to take advantage of all the opportunities available to me as a student and to find ways to use my platform as an athlete to help others," Peters wrote in her personal statement for the award nomination. "Although it was exhausting balancing my duty as the starting goaltender for one of the top hockey teams in the country with a rigorous course load, two part-time jobs, research and hundreds of hours of community service, it was certainly worthwhile."
Peters was honored as college hockey's finest citizen when she received the 2018 Hockey Humanitarian Award, given annually to a student-athlete who makes significant contributions not only to his or her team, but also to the community-at-large through leadership in volunteerism. A four-time WCHA Scholar-Athlete, WCHA All-Academic, and Academic All-Big Ten honoree, Peters graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in Kinesiology and a minor in biology. She has been accepted into medical school at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences where she is serving in the Air Force.
The top-nine finalists include three women from each NCAA division. Their college careers were highlighted by outstanding achievements in academics, athletics, community service, and leadership. Joining Peters in representing NCAA Division I are Vanessa Shippy from Oklahoma State (softball) and Keturah Orji from Georgia (indoor and outdoor track & field).
The Division II finalists are Trisana Fairweather of Claflin University (cross country and indoor and outdoor track & field), Delaney Hiegert of Newman University (softball), and Kami Norton of Angelo State (indoor and outdoor track & field), and the Division III finalists are Ade Ayoola of the University of Chicago (indoor and outdoor track & field), Amelia Wilhelm of Bates College (rowing), and Kayla Leland of Whitworth University (basketball, cross country, and indoor and outdoor track & field).
"I feel very honored to be named as a top-nine finalist for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award," Peters said. "I want to congratulate the other finalists on this accomplishment and say thank you to the NCAA for a wonderful undergraduate experience. I wouldn't be who I am today without the lessons I learned as a student-athlete or the people that I met through college hockey."
From the top-nine finalists, the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics will name the 2018 NCAA Woman of the Year. The Top 30 finalists will be celebrated and the Woman of the Year will be named on Sunday, Oct. 28 at a ceremony in Indianapolis. The NCAA Woman of the Year program has recognized graduating female student-athletes for excellence in academics, athletics, community service and leadership since its inception in 1991.
Peters was a four-year letter winner for the University of Minnesota women's hockey team, completing five years on the team from 2013-14 to 2017-18. A two-time NCAA national champion, she appeared in 82 games with a career record of 53-17-6. After seeing limited playing time her first two seasons in uniform, Peters backstopped the Gophers to the 2017 NCAA Frozen Four and led the Maroon & Gold to the 2018 WCHA Final Faceoff title and the league's automatic NCAA tournament berth as a senior. Her 53 wins, 16 shutouts, 1.65 goals against average, and 1,464 total saves all rank fifth among all-time Gopher goaltenders. Peters wrapped up her career ranked sixth in program history with a .921 career save percentage as well.
Peters' contributions on the ice are only topped by her impact in the community as she logged over 830 hours of community outreach and volunteer activities during her Gopher career. A certified Emergency Medical Technician, Peters spent significant time volunteering with the University of Minnesota EMS and the Rush-Copley Emergency Department in Aurora, Ill., near her hometown of Geneva, Ill. She also traveled to Haiti during the summer of 2016 with Project Medishare and spent eight days volunteering at Hospital Bernard Mevs, the country's only critical care and trauma hospital.
"As I prepared for a career as a physician in the United States Air Force, I wanted to take advantage of all the opportunities available to me as a student and to find ways to use my platform as an athlete to help others," Peters wrote in her personal statement for the award nomination. "Although it was exhausting balancing my duty as the starting goaltender for one of the top hockey teams in the country with a rigorous course load, two part-time jobs, research and hundreds of hours of community service, it was certainly worthwhile."
Peters was honored as college hockey's finest citizen when she received the 2018 Hockey Humanitarian Award, given annually to a student-athlete who makes significant contributions not only to his or her team, but also to the community-at-large through leadership in volunteerism. A four-time WCHA Scholar-Athlete, WCHA All-Academic, and Academic All-Big Ten honoree, Peters graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in Kinesiology and a minor in biology. She has been accepted into medical school at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences where she is serving in the Air Force.
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