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Bacon, Samedy Named NCAA Woman of the Year Nominees
7/14/2022 1:00:00 PM | Women's Swimming & Diving, Volleyball
MINNEAPOLIS -- The University of Minnesota has nominated diving champion Sarah Bacon and volleyball All-American Stephanie Samedy for the 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year award, the NCAA announced Thursday.
NCAA member schools nominated 577 female college athletes for the award, which began in 1991 and recognizes graduating athletes who excel in the four pillars of academics, athletics, service, and leadership. To be eligible, a nominee must have competed and earned a varsity letter in an NCAA-sponsored sport and must have earned her undergraduate degree by Summer 2022.
Eligible female student-athletes are nominated by their member school. Each conference office then reviews the nominations from its core member schools (and sponsored sports) and submits its conference nominee(s) to the NCAA. All nominees who compete in a sport that is not sponsored by their school's primary conference, as well as associate conference nominees and independent nominees, will be sent to a separate pool to be considered by a committee.
The NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee then identifies the Top 30 – 10 from Divisions I, II and III –and from there selects three finalists from each division. From the nine finalists, the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics then selects the NCAA Woman of the Year, who will be named later this fall.
Bacon is the most decorated female champion in Minnesota history with five NCAA titles, three on the 1-meter (2018, '19, '21) and two on the 3-meter (2021, '22). No other female athlete in school history has more than two NCAA titles. In fact, Bacon is tied for the most NCAA titles of any athlete in any sport. The accolades for Bacon are numerous, including being a 10-time All-American, four-time Big Ten champion, three-time All-Big Ten First Team, two-time Big Ten Diver of the Year, two-time Big Ten Diver of the Championships and 2018 NCAA Co-Diver of the Championships.
The 2021 Big Ten Female Athlete of the Year and 2021 CSCAA Women's Division I Diver of the Year, Bacon holds the conference record for the 1-meter and 3-meter and the NCAA Championship Record on the 1-meter. In addition, she was the 2021 HONDA Sport Award Winner for Swimming & Diving, becoming the only woman in Minnesota history to earn the HONDA Sport Award for any sport and the first diver to ever win the Swimming & Diving specific award.
A native of Indianapolis, Bacon has also volunteered at Hope Day Minnesota, was a two-time team captain and captain for Team USA at the 2022 FINA Diving Canada Cup.
Samedy, a right-side from Clermont, Fla., is one of the most decorated players in the history of Gophers volleyball. The five-time All-American and five-time All-Big Ten selection was a two-time Big Ten Player of the Year, in addition to winning consecutive AVCA North Region Player of the Year. Last spring she was named the recipient of the Senior CLASS award, which is chosen by a nationwide vote of Division I women's volleyball coaches, national volleyball media and fans, given annually to the most outstanding senior student-athlete in Division I women's volleyball.
In 2021, Samedy had her best year yet as a Gopher. She led the Big Ten and ranked in the top-10 nationally in points (5.32) and kills (4.75) per set. She tallied 12 matches with 20+ kills and three matches with 30+ kills this year, both of which ranked in the top five nationally. She also averaged 3.61 digs per set, which was a single-season career-high for her. Samedy finishes her career ranked No. 1 all-time in matches played (145), No. 4 in kills (2,026) and No. 6 in digs (1,538). She's the first Gopher and second player in Big Ten history to record 2,000 kills and 1,500 digs in her career.
Away from competition, Samedy has volunteered with Hope Community School kids clinics and played a leadership role with 'Team Impact,' which partnered a little girl named Cora with Gophers Volleyball for the past two years.
NCAA member schools nominated 577 female college athletes for the award, which began in 1991 and recognizes graduating athletes who excel in the four pillars of academics, athletics, service, and leadership. To be eligible, a nominee must have competed and earned a varsity letter in an NCAA-sponsored sport and must have earned her undergraduate degree by Summer 2022.
Eligible female student-athletes are nominated by their member school. Each conference office then reviews the nominations from its core member schools (and sponsored sports) and submits its conference nominee(s) to the NCAA. All nominees who compete in a sport that is not sponsored by their school's primary conference, as well as associate conference nominees and independent nominees, will be sent to a separate pool to be considered by a committee.
The NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee then identifies the Top 30 – 10 from Divisions I, II and III –and from there selects three finalists from each division. From the nine finalists, the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics then selects the NCAA Woman of the Year, who will be named later this fall.
Bacon is the most decorated female champion in Minnesota history with five NCAA titles, three on the 1-meter (2018, '19, '21) and two on the 3-meter (2021, '22). No other female athlete in school history has more than two NCAA titles. In fact, Bacon is tied for the most NCAA titles of any athlete in any sport. The accolades for Bacon are numerous, including being a 10-time All-American, four-time Big Ten champion, three-time All-Big Ten First Team, two-time Big Ten Diver of the Year, two-time Big Ten Diver of the Championships and 2018 NCAA Co-Diver of the Championships.
The 2021 Big Ten Female Athlete of the Year and 2021 CSCAA Women's Division I Diver of the Year, Bacon holds the conference record for the 1-meter and 3-meter and the NCAA Championship Record on the 1-meter. In addition, she was the 2021 HONDA Sport Award Winner for Swimming & Diving, becoming the only woman in Minnesota history to earn the HONDA Sport Award for any sport and the first diver to ever win the Swimming & Diving specific award.
A native of Indianapolis, Bacon has also volunteered at Hope Day Minnesota, was a two-time team captain and captain for Team USA at the 2022 FINA Diving Canada Cup.
Samedy, a right-side from Clermont, Fla., is one of the most decorated players in the history of Gophers volleyball. The five-time All-American and five-time All-Big Ten selection was a two-time Big Ten Player of the Year, in addition to winning consecutive AVCA North Region Player of the Year. Last spring she was named the recipient of the Senior CLASS award, which is chosen by a nationwide vote of Division I women's volleyball coaches, national volleyball media and fans, given annually to the most outstanding senior student-athlete in Division I women's volleyball.
In 2021, Samedy had her best year yet as a Gopher. She led the Big Ten and ranked in the top-10 nationally in points (5.32) and kills (4.75) per set. She tallied 12 matches with 20+ kills and three matches with 30+ kills this year, both of which ranked in the top five nationally. She also averaged 3.61 digs per set, which was a single-season career-high for her. Samedy finishes her career ranked No. 1 all-time in matches played (145), No. 4 in kills (2,026) and No. 6 in digs (1,538). She's the first Gopher and second player in Big Ten history to record 2,000 kills and 1,500 digs in her career.
Away from competition, Samedy has volunteered with Hope Community School kids clinics and played a leadership role with 'Team Impact,' which partnered a little girl named Cora with Gophers Volleyball for the past two years.
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