West Liberty University women’s basketball standout Tori Hansen has been selected as one of the Top 30 nominees for the 2011 NCAA Woman of the Year Award.
Hansen and the rest of the Top 30 women will be guests of honor at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis on Oct. 16 when the NCAA recognizes their achievements and announces the winner of the award at the 2011 NCAA Woman of the Year Awards Dinner.
Now in its 21st year, the NCAA Woman of the Year Award honors female student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, community service and leadership.
Hansen, a 2011 West Liberty graduate, is the first West Virginia student-athlete ever to advance to the Top 30 stage in the selection process since the award’s inception in 1991.
“This award catapults the recipient into the next phase of her life and paves the way for a successful future in any chosen profession,” said NCAA Woman of the Year selection chair Sharon Beverly. “When you consider the academic and athletic accomplishments of each of the candidates for this away and the way they have given back to society, the Woman of the Year honorees represent the top echelon of NCAA role models.”
A 5-9 native of McKean, Pa., Hansen earned first-team All-America honors on the basketball court and in the classroom during her record-setting career with the Hilltoppers.
The four-year starter made national headlines in February when she was honored as the 2011 College Division Capital One Academic All-American of the Year for women’s basketball and followed that up a few weeks later by earning a first-team spot on the Daktronics NCAA Division II All-America Team after leading the West Liberty women to their third NCAA Tournament in the past four years.
The second-leading scorer in West Virginia Conference history, Hansen ranked among the top five scorers in the nation as a junior and senior. During her four years with the Hilltoppers, she scored more points (2,300) and grabbed more rebounds (918) than any player in the history of the program. A three-time All-WVIAC and All-Region selection, Hansen was a second-team NCAA Division II All-American as a junior, a two-time WVIAC Player of the Year and the 2011 NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Player of the Year.
Off the court, she received numerous academic honors. A summa cum laude graduate with a degree in Mathematics Education, Hansen never received a grade below an “A” in any class during her college career. She was honored by the WVIAC as West Liberty’s 2011 Female Senior Scholar-Athlete and also was the recipient of the 2010 NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Scholar-Athlete Award. Active in several on-campus organizations, Hansen was involved in numerous community service projects, including working as a tutor with inner-city youth in Wheeling.
The NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics (CWA) manages the nomination process and selections. A total of 471 student-athletes were nominated by their institutions to their respective conference offices. Each conference then submitted its nomination to the NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee. The selection committee chose the Top 30, with 10 women from each of the three NCAA divisions. The CWA will select the top three from each division later this month as finalists for the award with the 2011 winner to be announced at the Awards Dinner.
NCAA WOMAN OF THE YEAR TOP 30
Division I
Danielle Blair UAB Soccer
Whitney Carlson North Dakota State Track
Annie Chandler Arizona Swimming
Audra Egenolf SMU Swimming
Kristina Frahm Md.-Eastern Shore Bowling
Courtney Hammond Dartmouth Skiing
Grace Johnson Georgia Gymnastics
Maya Moore Connecticut Basketball
Kelly Phillips Virginia Tech Track
Renee Tomlin Georgetown Cross Country, Track
Division II
Catherine Carr Holy Family Basketball
Shannon Gagne New Haven Track
Stormi Gale Wingate Volleyball
TORI HANSEN WEST LIBERTY BASKETBALL
Nicole Horn Henderson State Swimming
Elwen Li BYU-Hawaii Tennis
Alida Muller-Wehlau Armstrong Atlantic Tennis
Samantha Murphy Grand Canyon Basketball
Barbara Pocza Barry Tennis
Kelsey Ward Drury Swimming
Division III
Laura Barito Stevens Tech Swimming, Cross Country, Track
Michaela Calnan Bowdoin Hockey, Field Hockey
Diane Da Silva St. Elizabeth Basketball, Softball, Lacrosse
Hayley Emerick Trinity Swimming
Molly Evans Carnegie Mellon Swimming
Colleen Kelly Babson Field Hockey
Marcia McCord Ithaca Track
Katalin Navarre Denison Cross Country, Track
Maria Peloquin Wis.-Eau Claire Cross Country, Track
Sarah Stephens Frostburg State Tennis, Volleyball