University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Grace Kwiatkowski nominated for NCAA Woman of the Year
07.27.2021 | Women's Soccer, Athletics News
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The UNC Asheville Athletics Department has nominated Grace Kwiatkowski of women's soccer for the annual NCAA Woman of the Year award.
A mainstay on the defensive line during her career, Kwiatkowski was a two-year captain for the Bulldogs, logging over 4,300 minutes and scoring one goal in her four seasons, garnering Big South All-Academic Team honors in 2019. This past season, the Davidson, North Carolina, native started eight of nine games played, totaling 90 minutes seven times. In total, Kwiatkowski started 43 games and appeared in 55 during her tenure in Asheville, capping off her career with 2021 All-Big South Honorable Mention recognition.
Graduating Magna Cum Laude in May, Kwiatkowski earned a bachelor's degree in health and wellness to go along with a minor in biology. Among her many extracurricular activities, Kwiatkowski worked with FeedNC, was a member of the Chi Alpha Sigma National College Athlete Honors Society, volunteered for a reading program and was a teacher's assistant while at UNC Asheville.
Kwiatkowski was one of 10 nominees from the Big South. All conference-level nominees are sent to the Woman of the Year selection committee. The selection committee will choose the top 10 honorees in each division (I, II, III) before ultimately selecting the 2021 NCAA Woman of the Year this fall.
For 31 years, the NCAA Woman of the Year program has honored the academic achievements, athletics excellence, community service and leadership of outstanding female college athletes. Rooted in Title IX and directed by the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics, the NCAA Woman of the Year program celebrates the accomplishments of female college athletes across all three NCAA divisions. Over 220,000 women are competing in college sports, and the NCAA received 535 nominations for this prestigious award.
