Grimm and Thomas Earn NCAA Woman of the Year Nominations
6/27/2017 7:58:00 PM | General, Softball, Women's Track & Field
KENT, Ohio — Kent State's Maddy Grimm (softball) and Danniel Thomas (track and field) were announced as nominees for the 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year award, the NCAA announced on Tuesday (June 27).
Grimm and Thomas are among a record 543 female college athletes nominated by NCAA member schools for this year's award across all three NCAA divisions. They each received the Janet Bachna Award, which is presented to the Kent State senior female student-athlete who displays athletic, academic and leadership excellence, earlier this spring.
Established in 1991 and now in its 27th year, the NCAA Woman of the Year award honors graduating female college athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves in academics, athletics, service and leadership throughout their collegiate careers.
One of the most decorated Kent State softball standouts in school history, Grimm earned 2017 Fastpitch News All-America Honorable Mention honors and was a NFCA All-Mideast Region selection all four seasons, including three straight first team nods. This past season, she was tabbed as Mid-American Conference Player of the Year after setting the conference record for walks (49) and breaking her own school single-season record for RBIs (55) and matching her single-season home run record (19). Grimm finished her career as the MAC all-time leader in walks (133) and sits in second in conference history in runs scored (172), home runs (69), RBIs (192) and slugging percentage (.769).
Grimm made MAC history this past season as the first Player of the Year honoree to also earn the Nan Harvey Award, which is given to a conference player, coach or staff member who demonstrates the type of commitment, leadership, toughness and tenacious attitude that Harvey, an integral part of the University at Buffalo family for two decades, epitomized. She graduated in May with a degree in exercise science and was a CoSIDA Academic All-District™ Second Team selection. Additionally, Grimm was a three-time MAC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete honoree, a three-time Academic All-MAC honoree and a two-time MAC Scholar-Athlete of the Week honoree.
Thomas was as one of 10 semifinalists for The Bowerman award, which is awarded to the most outstanding track and field student-athlete each season, after capturing the shot put national title at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. After placing second during the indoor season and the 2014 outdoor championships, Thomas finally earned the distinction of being a national champion in dominant fashion, as all six of her throws were good enough to win the competition. She finished her career as a 10-time All-American with four top-5 national finishes. Thomas was recognized as the 2017 Great Lakes Region Women's Field Athlete of the Year by the USTFCCCA for both the indoor and outdoor seasons and competed for Jamaica at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
A 2016 graduate who earned a degree in physical education and was enrolled in Kent State's sport and recreation management graduate program, Thomas was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America® First Team last week. She was also a four-time MAC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete honoree, a four-time Academic All-MAC honoree and a one-time MAC Scholar-Athlete of the Week honoree.
Next, conferences will select up to two conference nominees each from the pool of school nominees. The Woman of the Year selection committee, made up of representatives from the NCAA membership, will then choose the top 30 honorees — 10 from each division.
From the top 30, the selection committee determines the top three honorees from each division and announces the nine finalists in September. The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics then chooses the 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year from those nine.
Players Mentioned
