D-III soccer represented among Top 30 honorees for NCAA Woman of the Year

By Christan Shirk

One Division III soccer player was among the Top 30 honorees for the 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year award.

Just one graduated Division III women’s soccer player is among the Top 30 honorees for the 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year award. The selection committee’s announcement today included the name of Emily Berzolla (MIT) who is joined by nine other Division III student-athletes who were selected from the 63 conference honorees representing all 45 Division III conferences. A total of 220 Division III student-athletes were nominated by their schools.

Across all three divisions there were a record total of 605 nominees and 161 conference and independent honorees from which the committee selected the top ten from each division. For the 2020 award, nominees are required to have completed their intercollegiate athletic eligibility during the 2019-20 school year and have graduated by the end of the 2020 summer term (or would have if not for Covid-19 pandemic) with a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.50. Candidates are graded in the areas of service and leadership, academic achievement, and athletic excellence as well as their personal statement of no more than 500 words. The impacts of Covid-19 pandemic (e.g., cancelation of winter championships and spring seasons, modifications to academic year) will be taken into consideration, but, as in any other year, the nominees are evaluated based on their achievements and involvements throughout their time as collegiate student-athletes, not just during their final year.

In mid-October nine finalists—three from each division—will be named by the selection committee and forwarded the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics (CWA) who will choose the winner. Normally the Top 30 honorees would be recognized and the NCAA Woman of the Year winner would be announced at the annual awards dinner and ceremony in mid- to late-October; however, due to the Covid-19 pandemic the 2020 winner will simply be announced this year. Only five Division III student-athletes have won the award in its 29-year history, the most recent being a soccer player: Washington University's goalkeeper Lizzy Crist just three years ago in 2017 after she concluded her collegiate career as a national champion and two-time D3soccer.com Goalkeeper of the Year. She was just the second soccer player from any division to receive the honor, three years after the first in 2014. More information on the NCAA Woman of the Year award can be found below.

Emily Berzolla, midfielder (MIT '20)

Top 30 honoree for the 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year award: Emily Berzolla (MIT). Photo: Julia Monaco / MIT Athletics

Emily Berzolla, a standout midfielder at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for four years, finished her collegiate career with 26 goals and 40 assists for 92 points in 88 total games. The four-year starter ranks second in program history for assists with a season-record (tie) 16 assists during her sophomore campaign. Berzolla helped the Engineers to their best four-year run (74-12-8, .830) and their top three seasons which included three NEWMAC titles—matching the number of titles won in the previous 30 years—and an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance. The senior co-captain was instrumental in the Engineers leading Division III with a .16 Goals Against Average last fall. She left the team in the midst of program-best 21-game unbeaten streak that included a program-record 14-game winning streak and a 3-1 statement-win on the road at national powerhouse Williams. Individually, the NEWMAC honored Berzolla with one second team and three first team all-conference selections and the 2019 Athlete of the Year award. The United Soccer Coaches (USC) named Berzolla to the All-New England second team as a sophomore and to their All-America second team as a senior. D3Soccer.com also selected her to their All-America second team last year.

Berzolla's concurrent excellence in the classroom also garnered her three straight NEWMAC Academic All-Conference honors, a USC Scholar All-American second team selection, and three straight CoSIDA Academic All-America nods—twice on the first team, once on the third team. She also received the Malcom G. Kispert Award that recognizes MIT's male and female Scholar-Athletes of the Year. The mechanical engineering major with a minor in Spanish graduated in the spring with a 3.92 cumulative GPA. She was the 2019 recipient of the Mechanical Engineering department's Lauren Tsai Memorial Award for Academic Excellence. Academic and career pursuits outside the classroom included research positions at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research and the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research as well as internships at Geri Goldman Engineering and at Cokono Security. Additionally, Berzolla volunteered as an engineering intern at Cor Medical Ventures and at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Hospital. On campus, she was a member of MIT's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) of which she served as co-president during her senior year while also serving as teaching assistant for four class. In the community, Berzolla founded and directed the MIT chapter of Step Ahead, a young but growing national community network of running teams for children with autism and their siblings.

NCAA Woman of the Year Award

Process (modified due to Covid-19 pandemic)

• NCAA member colleges and universities nominate their top graduating female student-athlete (May to June due to Covid-19 pandemic).
• Conferences select up to two women from the nominees to represent the conference (early July due to Covid-19 pandemic).
• The Woman of the Year selection committee selects the top 30 honorees–10 from each division (September).
• The selection committee determines the top three in each division; announces the top nine finalists (early October).
• The NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics votes from among the finalists to determine the NCAA Woman of the Year.
• The NCAA Woman of the Year winner is announced (mid- to late-October?) (no annual awards dinner and ceremony in October due to Covid-19 pandemic).

Eligibility

• Nominee must have competed and earned a varsity letter in an NCAA-sponsored sport.
• Nominee must have completed intercollegiate eligibility in her primary sport by the end of the 2019-20 competitive season and received her undergraduate degree no later than the summer 2020 term (or would have if not for the Covid-19 pandemic) .
• Nominee must have a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 2.50 (4.00 scale).

Selection Criteria

• Personal Statement (10%)

• Based on the nominee’s own description, in 500 words or less, of how her experiences as a scholar, an athlete, and a leader on her campus and in her community have influenced her life and empowered her to have a positive impact on the world.  This year, the nominee may use a limited portion of her statement to discuss the personal impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
  Eloquently explains her experiences using poignant examples that illustrate her significant growth and development; provides insightful analysis of and appreciation for how she can have a positive impact on the world	5 pts.
  Effectively explains her experiences using appropriate examples that illustrate her growth and development; provides a perceptive understanding of how she can have a positive impact on the world	4 pts.
  Communicates her experiences using multiple examples that illustrate her growth and development; presents a clear understanding of how she can have a positive impact on the world	3 pts.
  Communicates her experiences using at least one example related to her growth and development; offers a basic understanding of how she can have a positive impact on the world	2 pts.
  Lists some of her experiences, referring in some way to how she can have a positive impact on the world	1 pt.

• Service and Leadership (30%)

• Based on the nominee's involvement in campus and leadership activities and community service as follows:
  Consistently engaged in extensive service and leadership activities that impact the campus, community and/or beyond; makes most of opportunities by taking on key roles; is creative and innovative in seeking out meaningful service and leadership opportunities	5 pts.
  Consistently engaged in service and leadership activities, and plays a significant role in impacting the campus and community in a meaningful way	4 pts.
  Consistently involved in service and leadership activities that positively affect her campus	3 pts.
  Involved in some service and leadership activities at various times during collegiate career	2 pts.
  Involved in a few one-time or short-term service or leadership activities	1 pt.

• Academic Achievement (30%)

• Based on cumulative undergraduate GPA as follows:
  3.90 - 4.00	5 pts.
  3.70 - 3.89	4 pts.
  3.50 - 3.69	3 pts.
  3.30 - 3.49	2 pts.
  3.00 - 3.29	1 pt.

• Athletics Excellence (30%)

• Based on nominee's highest athletics honor and/or accomplishment as follows:
  Team/individual national champion, 1st Team athletics All-American	5 pts.
  Athletics All-American other than 1st team	4 pts.
  Athletics All-Region, 1st Team All-Conference, team/individual conference champion	3 pts.
  Athletics All-Conference other than 1st team	2 pts.
  Multisport varsity letter	1 pt.

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