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June 10, 2009

SCAC Nominates Two For NCAA Woman Of The Year Award


SUWANEE, Ga. - Melanie Auguste of Colorado College and Amanda Stier of DePauw University, have been nominated by the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference for the 19th annual NCAA Woman of the Year Award.

Auguste, an economics major from Cameron Park, Calif., was recently named recipient of a $7,500 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship as well as the prestigious Jostens Trophy, which honors a Division III basketball player who excels in the classroom, on the court and in the community. The owner of a 3.74 grade-point average as well as a Rhodes Scholar nomination, Auguste served as president of the Colorado College Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

On the hardwood, Auguste earned a spot on the 2009 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America second team, selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). She was also voted SCAC Women's Basketball Player of the Year after leading the league in scoring and assists, named a second-team All-American by D3Hoops.com and earned honorable mention from the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA).

The school's career leader in assists and steals, Auguste was a two-time team captain, four-time team MVP, seven-time SCAC Player-of-the-Week and a five-time selection to the D3hoops.com National Team of the Week.

In May, Auguste received the Laura Golden award as Colorado College's top female student-athletes among the 2009 graduating class.

In addition to her athletic and academic success, Auguste also found time for other campus and community service activities. She was a founding student editor with the Rocky Mountain Undergraduate Review and also assisted with Habitat for Humanity and Relay for Life.

Amanda Stier is the third consecutive former DePauw student-athlete to be recognized as SCAC Woman of the Year - following fellow swimmer Katie Doogan in 2008 and Liz Bondi in 2007.

A kinesiology major from Springboro, Ohio, Stier excelled in and out of the pool during her four years in Greencastle. She was named to the Dean's List all eight semesters at DePauw and earned four varsity letters in the pool. She was named to the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Academic Honor Roll all four years, received academic honors from the College Swimming Coaches Association of America and is a Chi Alpha Sigma (National College Athlete Honor Society) inductee.

For coach Mary Bretscher, Stier earned four all-America awards in her career and was honorable mention all-America seven times. A three-time team most valuable swimmer, Stier holds three individual school records and was part of four school-record relays as well as two SCAC individual records and four conference relay records. Stier was also a 26-time all-conference performer and five-time SCAC Swimmer of the Week.

In May, Stier was selected as DePauw's top senior female student-athlete by the University's head coaches and earned the Amy Hasbrook Award. The award is presented annually to a senior female athlete who best exemplifies effort and excellence in academics, athletics, leadership, integrity, dedication to the team, campus involvement and community service.

A member and secretary of Kappa Omicron Nu - a Kinesiology Honor Society - Stier boasts a 3.79 grade point average in sports medicine and plans to continue her education at the University of Dayton's Doctor of Physical Therapy program.

In addition to her success in the pool and her studies in the classroom, Stier filled her little spare time with various campus and community service activities. She served as a swim lessons instructor all four years at DePauw - helping to teach youngsters to swim. She was also a NSCA personal trainer - volunteering with the school's sports program to provide assistance for fellow student-athletes. And as a member of Alpha Chi Omega sorority, Stier participated in raising money for victims of domestic violence through activities such as pep rallies and providing hot chocolate to students on rainy days.

Auguste and Stier were two of seven outstanding nominees considered by the SCAC Woman of the Year Committee. The other candidates were:

  • Laura Broederdorf, cross country/track and field, Hendrix College
  • Katy Joyner, soccer, Rhodes College
  • Emily Loeffler, cross country/track and field, Trinity University
  • Marisa Mauldin, golf, Southwestern University
  • Erin Menard, soccer, Centre College

As SCAC co-winners, Auguste and Stier will both be nominated for the NCAA Woman of the Year award, one of the most prestigious honors the NCAA bestows. The award recognizes senior student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership. Each NCAA conference, and independent institutions, can nominate a distinguished female student-athlete for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award. The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics will select the top 10 winners in each division in August. From those 30 honorees, the selection committee will determine the top three in each division (September). Finally, the members of the CWA will vote from among the top nine finalists to determine the Woman of the Year. The top 10 honorees and the nine finalists from Divisions I, II and III will be honored and the 2009 NCAA Woman of the Year winner will be announced at a dinner in Indianapolis, on October 18, 2009.

In conjunction with the changes in the nomination process for the NCAA Woman of the Year award, the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Woman of the Year award was established for the 2005-06 athletic season. Beginning in 2006, the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics (CWA) started receiving conference-designated nominees in lieu of the previous institution- and state-based nomination format.

Year-by-year SCAC Woman of the Year Honorees
2009     Melanie Auguste, basketball, Colorado College
            Amanda Stier, swimming, DePauw University
2008     Katie Doogan, swimming, DePauw University
2007     Liz Bondi, basketball & tennis, DePauw University
2006     Christyn Schumann, indoor & outdoor track and field, Trinity University

-SCAC-