| September 15, 2003
(Release courtesy of Paul Misner, SID, Buena Vista University)
STORM LAKE, IOWA . . . NCAA Woman
of the Year award winners representing the states and the District
of Columbia were announced September 12, 2003. Buena Vista's Jessica
Jensen has been honored with the award for the state of
Iowa. This prestigious award honors outstanding female student-athletes
who have excelled in academics, athletics and community leadership,
and have completed their collegiate athletics eligibility.
Jensen was named to the 2003 Verizon Second Team
All-District Team in track and field and has earned National Track
Coaches Association Academic All-American honors in 2003, 2002,
2001. She was named 2003 Harriett Henry Award Honoree (given to
top BVU women's student-athlete in school year) and has been a member
of the Deans List (2003, 2002, 2001, 2000). Jensen also earned Academic
All-Iowa Conference honors in 2003, 2002 in track and field and
in 2003, 2002 in basketball).
Jensen has been a two-sport athlete lettering nine
times (three outdoor track & field, two indoor track and field
and four in basketball. She was an academic assistant in biology
(2003, 2002), a member of the NCAA Student Advisory Committee (2003,
2002, 2001), Science Club (2003, 2002, 2001, 2000), and a volunteer
for "Science after school" to help area middle school
youths excel in sciences.
She is the record holder in Iowa Conference 400
meter hurdles (2003, 2002), Iowa Conference champion in 400 meters
(indoor in 2003, outdoor in 2003 and a member of the IIAC winning
4x400 meter relay team in 2003.
About 340 student-athletes were nominated for this
year's award by their colleges and universities. A committee comprised
of representatives from member schools selected the state winners.
Each NCAA member institution was encouraged to submit a nominee.
In fact, schools were allowed to submit the names of two nominees
if one was an ethnic minority. The selection committee then reviewed
the nominees' academic and athletics accomplishments, and community
service and involvement.
Those chosen as state winners are truly exceptional
young women. Of the 50 state finalists, seven competed on national
championship teams. Nearly 40 were selected as athletic all-Americans
and more than 30 were named academic all-Americans. More than 35
served as their team captains or co-captains. One competed in the
Olympics and others competed in the Pan American and World Games.
Four were multi-sport athletes. Six received NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships.
Twenty-seven represented their fellow student-athletes on their
campus Student-Athlete Advisory Committees (SAAC); two served on
conference student-athlete committees and one was a member of the
national SAAC.
In addition, they found time to help in their communities,
volunteering for a wide variety of organizations, including hospitals,
soup kitchens and the Special Olympics. They helped adults and children
learn to read; volunteered at food, clothing and gift drives; helped
raise awareness and funds to fight breast cancer; served on committees
planning campus policies; and took mission trips overseas. The state
winners had an overall grade point average (GPA) of 3.68, with three
posting perfect 4.0 GPAs. They graduated with a variety of majors,
including international business, computer system engineering, microbiology,
biochemistry, architecture and neuroscience.
The state-level winners include 29 student-athletes
from Division I, nine student-athletes from Division II and 12 student-athletes
from Division III. These student-athletes participated in 17 of
the 20 sports in which women compete for NCAA championships, including
basketball, field hockey, skiing, golf, rowing and soccer.
A national winner - the NCAA Woman of the Year
- will be selected by the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics from
among 10 finalists. The finalists will be announced in late September.The
national winner will be announced at the 2003 NCAA Woman of the
Year dinner Saturday, November 1, at the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown.
This is the thirteenth year that this award - one of the top honors
the NCAA bestows
- will be given.
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