NEWPORT NEWS, Va.— University of Dayton women's soccer player Juliana Libertin has been selected co-Atlantic 10 Conference NCAA Woman of the Year.
The Atlantic 10 announced the selections of Libertin and Amalia Kobelja, a Richmond swimmer Wednesday. The two were chosen by the A-10's Council of Senior Woman Administrators from nine exceptional candidates. The NCAA accepts nominations from each conference across all three divisions. A league may nominate two candidates if one of the nominees is an international student or an ethnic minority.

Now in its 24th year, the NCAA Woman of the Year award honors graduating female student-athletes for their achievements in academics, athletics, community service and leadership. Considered 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. In the past five years, 676 student-athletes were nominated by their conference or institution. In 2013 alone, 455 student-athletes were nominated by their institutions.

To be nominated, these women must have competed and earned a varsity letter in an NCAA-sponsored sport and must have completed eligibility in their primary sport. The top 10 honorees per division will be announced in August 2014, followed by the top three honorees per division being announced in September 2014. The national winner, the 2014 Woman of the Year, will be announced at the NCAA Woman of the Year Awards Dinner in Indianapolis on October 19, 2014.

More than 120 NCAA female student-athletes representing multiple sports across NCAA Divisions I, II and III have been selected as 2014 Woman of the Year honorees by their athletics conferences and by independent schools. The conference honorees represent student-athletes from 15 different sports. By division, 52 honorees competed in Division I conferences, 25 competed in Division II, and 49 competed in Division III.

Libertin was also recently selected as one of 10 Atlantic 10 student-athletes to receive the league's Postgraduate Scholarship. A leader and team captain for the Flyers, she was a three-time member of the NSCAA All-Mid-Atlantic Region Team (2011, 2012, 2013). She led the Flyers to two Atlantic 10 regular season crowns (2010 and 2013) and two A-10 Championship titles (2010 and 2011). She was named to the A-10 All-Championship Team in 2011 and 2013 and led Dayton to two NCAA appearances (2010 and 2011). An All-Atlantic 10 First Team selection three times (2011, 2012, 2013),  Libertin was a Top 30 selection for the 2013  Senior CLASS Award, and was named Atlantic 10 Midfielder of the Year in 2013.

Libertin received numerous awards, both as a senior and throughout her career. This included Capital One Academic All-America honors as a junior and Second Team of the Capital One Academic All-District Team. She received First Team recognition from the NSCAA All-Mid-Atlantic Region as well as Second Team NSCAA Scholar All-American honors also.  She was named the Dayton 2013 Presidential Scholar Athlete, the highest honor an athlete can earn from the University of Dayton. A tutor for Dayton's Health and Sport Science department, she also was a student assistant and student associate/intern. She participated in Kicks for Kids, assisted in aquatic therapy for patients with multiple sclerosis and coached for TOPSoccer, an outreach program that teaches soccer to disabled children. Libertin was a volunteer coach for youth and church teams as well.

"I congratulate both Juliana and Amalia. They are impressive young women and they represent the Atlantic 10 Conference in the highest way possible," stated A-10 Commissioner Bernadette V. McGlade. "Academically, athletically and personally, they have established themselves as leaders."