HIGH POINT, N.C-. Conference Carolinas has announced Queens' Mary-Ashley Davino has been selected as a nominee for the NCAA Women of the Year award. The NCAA Woman of the Year Award recognizes excellence in athletics, academics and service and leadership. Seniors who completed their final year of athletic eligibility are eligible for the award.
An education major from Roswell, Ga., Mary-Ashley Davino was a Conference Carolinas All-Conference First Team selection as well as a National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Southeast Third Team selection. As the captain during the 2008 season Davino, a defensive player, helped lead the Royals on a 19 game conference undefeated streak that started in October of 2007 and helped capture a part of the 2008 regular season championship. During her tenure on the women’s soccer team she was three-times honored as an All-Tournament player, including 2008, and captured two regular season titles, one tournament title and took the Royals to their first NCAA Tournament in 2007.
Away from the field Davino found time to lead the Queens Young Life Quest group as its President, lead a Young Life group at Charlotte Country Day School, and participate in the Mortar Board National Honor Society. Additionally, she was a tutor for a local elementary student with Down syndrome two to three times a week.
In May, Davino graduated with grade-point average of 3.4743 and bachelor’s degree elementary education with a focus in psychology and math.
“We are thrilled to have Mary-Ashley representing Queens and Conference Carolinas in the NCAA Woman of the Year program,” said Queens Director of Athletics Jeannie King. “Mary-Ashley is the epitome of a Queens student-athlete. She is truly dedicated to her team, her academics and her philanthropy, all with a smile on her face and a helping hand out stretched.”
The conference has also nominated Mount Olive's Tomeka Pricchard for the award.
Later this summer, a top 10 from each of the three NCAA Divisions will be announced and the 30 honorees will be invited to an awards dinner in Indianapolis, Ind., in October. Three finalists from each division will be selected and the 2009 NCAA Woman of the Year will be announced at the dinner.
Nominee History >
Prichard’s selection marks the fourth time in as many years that a Mount Olive student-athlete has represented Conference Carolinas in the NCAA Woman of the Year program while Davino’s nomination marks the first time another conference school has been represented as an NCAA nominee.
In 2005-06, the first year the NCAA Woman of the Year Award was coordinated through conference offices, Mount Olive golfer Lindsey Snyder and tennis player Lucia Henkle were the (then) Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference nominees. In 2006-07, Trojan golfer Kate Somek represented the conference. Last year, Mount Olive volleyball and track & field student-athlete Sam Mitchell was the league representative. Mitchell went on to become one of nine national finalists for the award and was featured on a nationally televised program highlighting the NCAA Woman of the Year Award Ceremony.