INDIANAPOLIS – Graduating seniors Taylor Cummings (women's lacrosse) and Malina Howard (women's basketball) were selected as nominees for the NCAA Woman of the Year award.
The NCAA Woman of the Year award honors graduating female college athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in academics, athletics, service and leadership.
Cummings became the first-ever three-time winner of the Tewaaraton Award earlier this month as the top player in college lacrosse. The Ellicott City, Md., native also earned her third straight Honda Award and third straight IWLCA National Midfielder of the Year distinction.
In her four seasons at Maryland, Cummings led the Terps to four NCAA Championship game appearances and two national titles in 2014 and 2015. She was named an IWLCA First Team All-American in each of her four years and was also an all-conference member in each season – All-ACC in 2013 and 2014 and All-Big Ten in 2015 and 2016. In her time at Maryland, Cummings went 88-4, including a 44-0 record in College Park.
A U.S. National Team member since 2014, Cummings was named to the NCAA Championship all-tournament team three times and was the championship’s Most Outstanding Player twice. A two-time ESPY Best Female College Athlete nominee, Cummings was also a two-time Big Ten Midfielder of the Year and the 2014-15 Big Ten Female Athlete of the Year.
Cummings finished her Maryland career ranked in multiple Terrapin record book categories: third in goals (229), ninth in assists (94), second in points (323) and first in draw controls (509). In 2016, Cummings set the Maryland single-season records for draw controls (144) and caused turnovers (52).
Cummings graduated in May with a degree in finance and was a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection.
Howard helped the Terrapins to two Final Fours, four conference titles and a record of 119-22 (.843) over her stellar career. She played in 140 career games, missing just one in her career. She scored 770 points with 542 rebounds and 76 blocks over her four years in College Park.
She earned Academic All-Conference honors in all four years of her career. She earned the Elite 89 Award, an honor given to the student-athlete with the highest GPA at the Final Four. She graduated with her degree in kinesiology in just three years.
Last month, Howard was the recipient of the Sally Sterling Byrd Award, a University honor awarded to the male and female member of the senior class who during their collegiate careers have most nearly typified the model citizen and have contributed significantly to the general advancement of the interests of the university.
NCAA member schools have nominated 517 student-athletes for the 2016 Woman of the Year award.
Next, conferences assess their member school nominees and select 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 from among those nine to determine the 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year.
The top 30 honorees will be celebrated and the 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year winner will be announced at the annual award ceremony Oct. 16 in Indianapolis.
– Maryland –
