TEMPE, Ariz. – Sun Devil Triathlon's Katie Gorczyca has been nominated for the 2019 NCAA Woman of the Year recognizing graduating female college athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves in academics, athletics, service and leadership throughout their collegiate careers.
Gorczyca excelled both in competition and in the classroom as a student-athlete in her three seasons at Arizona State, contributing to each of the three-straight National Championships achieved by Sun Devil Triathlon. Gorczyca most recently took home a third-place finish at the 2018 National Championship to secure a top-5 sweep for ASU, and also added a second place finish in 2016.
The Las Vegas-native also focused on enrichment in academics, maintaining a 3.63 cumulative GPA while working toward her B.S. in Kinesiology. Gorczyca served as an Academic Enrichment Intern for the Scholar Baller Initiative at Arizona State which provided her the opportunity to assist in creating a learning environment conducive to the ultimate success of those in the program.
"The combination of self-discipline, opportunities, and challenges have contributed to my successes in life," Gorczyca said. "Over the years I have developed a great deal of self-discipline by balancing a collegiate and professional triathlon career with academics."
She also volunteered with several charity initiatives during her time in the Maroon and Gold including Feed my Starving Children, the Silver Key March for Meals and the Super Hero Athlete Volunteer Book Read. Gorczyca contributed her knowledge as a student-athlete to several organizations like the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee at ASU and also served as a Women in Sports Initiative while training at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. She promoted women in sports through speaking to young girls and emphasizing the importance of the Olympic movement.
Established in 1991, the NCAA Woman of the Year award recognizes graduating female college athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves in academics, athletics, service and leadership throughout their collegiate careers.
The NCAA encourages member schools to honor their top graduating female student-athletes each year by submitting their names for consideration for the Woman of the Year award.
The nominees competed in 23 different sports across all three NCAA divisions, including 262 from Division I, 131 from Division II and 192 from Division III. Multisport student-athletes account for 144 of the nominees.
Next, conferences will select up to two nominees each from the pool of school nominees. Then, the Woman of the Year selection committee, made up of representatives from the NCAA membership, will choose the Top 30 honorees — 10 from each division.
The selection committee will determine the top three honorees from each division from the Top 30 and announce the nine finalists in September. From those nine finalists, the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics then will choose the 2019 NCAA Woman of the Year.
The Top 30 honorees will be celebrated and the 2019 NCAA Woman of the Year will be named at the annual award ceremony Oct. 20 in Indianapolis.
Gorczyca excelled both in competition and in the classroom as a student-athlete in her three seasons at Arizona State, contributing to each of the three-straight National Championships achieved by Sun Devil Triathlon. Gorczyca most recently took home a third-place finish at the 2018 National Championship to secure a top-5 sweep for ASU, and also added a second place finish in 2016.
The Las Vegas-native also focused on enrichment in academics, maintaining a 3.63 cumulative GPA while working toward her B.S. in Kinesiology. Gorczyca served as an Academic Enrichment Intern for the Scholar Baller Initiative at Arizona State which provided her the opportunity to assist in creating a learning environment conducive to the ultimate success of those in the program.
"The combination of self-discipline, opportunities, and challenges have contributed to my successes in life," Gorczyca said. "Over the years I have developed a great deal of self-discipline by balancing a collegiate and professional triathlon career with academics."
She also volunteered with several charity initiatives during her time in the Maroon and Gold including Feed my Starving Children, the Silver Key March for Meals and the Super Hero Athlete Volunteer Book Read. Gorczyca contributed her knowledge as a student-athlete to several organizations like the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee at ASU and also served as a Women in Sports Initiative while training at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. She promoted women in sports through speaking to young girls and emphasizing the importance of the Olympic movement.
Established in 1991, the NCAA Woman of the Year award recognizes graduating female college athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves in academics, athletics, service and leadership throughout their collegiate careers.
The NCAA encourages member schools to honor their top graduating female student-athletes each year by submitting their names for consideration for the Woman of the Year award.
The nominees competed in 23 different sports across all three NCAA divisions, including 262 from Division I, 131 from Division II and 192 from Division III. Multisport student-athletes account for 144 of the nominees.
Next, conferences will select up to two nominees each from the pool of school nominees. Then, the Woman of the Year selection committee, made up of representatives from the NCAA membership, will choose the Top 30 honorees — 10 from each division.
The selection committee will determine the top three honorees from each division from the Top 30 and announce the nine finalists in September. From those nine finalists, the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics then will choose the 2019 NCAA Woman of the Year.
The Top 30 honorees will be celebrated and the 2019 NCAA Woman of the Year will be named at the annual award ceremony Oct. 20 in Indianapolis.