DAYTON - As announced by the NCAA Tuesday afternoon, University of Dayton softball senior Gabrielle Snyder is the Flyers' 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year nominee.
Dayton's all-time leader in hits (222), doubles (58) and batting average (.399), Snyder won numerous awards through her four years, including earning the 2017 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year award. She was named All-Conference First Team three of her four years and was named A-10 All-Rookie as a freshman. Snyder, who led Dayton to four A-10 Championship appearances and a regular season title, also made the NFCA All-Region team all four years, earning first-team honors as a junior. She is also the Flyers' single-season record holder in in batting average (.429), set during her senior season and doubles (20), set as a sophomore. She won the 2017 RUDY award, given to a UD student-athlete that best exemplifies what it means to be a Dayton Flyer. A member of the A-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll in each of her semesters, she was a CoSIDA Academic All-District and All-American First Team member in 2017, and was a member of the Atlantic 10 All-Academic team all three years she was eligible. Snyder, who received the Verhoff Summer Research award in 2017, volunteered locally as a youth coach, worked with the Best Buddies program and participated as a volunteer in Dayton's annual Christmas on Campus outreach program.
Snyder will join other nominees from the Atlantic 10 to be voted on by the league's Senior Woman Administrators. Two student-athletes will represent the Atlantic 10 Conference in the 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year finalists.
The 2017 Atlantic 10 institutional Woman of the Year nominees are recognized for being standout citizens with robust academic success, complimented by competitive athletic resumes, while sustaining dynamic leadership in their communities. The 13 candidates have noteworthy credentials, including All-American and Academic All-America honors, conference championships and All-Conference award winners, NCAA Championship success, and campus involvement, including serving as student-athlete leaders.
After the A-10 and all other leagues have selected up to two conference 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. The top 30 honorees will be recognized and the 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year will be announced at the annual award ceremony Oct. 22 in Indianapolis.
One of the most prestigious NCAA awards, the NCAA established the Woman of the Year Award in 1991 to celebrate the achievements of women in intercollegiate athletics. 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.
