Softball: Lexie Elkins Among Nominees for NCAA Woman of the Year

LAFAYETTE – Ragin’ Cajuns softball senior catcher Lexie Elkins is among a distinguished group of female athletes nominated for the 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year Award, the NCAA announced on Tuesday.
 
To view the complete list of school nominees, click here.
 
Elkins was one of 517 female student-athletes nominated nationwide across all NCAA divisions – setting a record for number of nominees for the second straight year.
 
Of the nominees for the national award, 231 competed in Division I, 117 competed in Division II and 169 competed in Division III athletics. The nominees also represent 21 different women’s sports.
 
The 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year winner will be announced, and the Top 30 honorees celebrated, at the annual award ceremony Oct. 16 in Indianapolis.
 
Now in its 26th year, the Woman of the Year award honors graduating female college athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in academics, athletics, service and leadership.
 
The NCAA encourages member schools to honor its top graduating female student-athletes each year by submitting their names for consideration for the Woman of the Year award.
 
Then, conferences assess each nominee’s eligibility and select up to two conference nominees. All conference nominees are forwarded to the Woman of the Year selection committee, which chooses the Top 30 honorees – 10 from each division.
 
From the Top 30, the selection committee determines the top three nominees from each division and announces the top nine finalists in September. The NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics then chooses from among those nine to determine the 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year.
 
Elkins, who donned the Ragin’ Cajuns uniform from 2014-16, flourished as one of the nation’s top power hitters during her stay in Cajun Country. She belted 75 home runs over the three seasons, after hitting none as a freshman at Texas Tech.
 
A three-time All-American selection (first team the past two years) and the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 National Pro Fastpitch Draft, Elkins ranks second in Ragin’ Cajuns history in career home runs and 12th on the NCAA’s all-time list.
 
In 2016, Elkins became the first Ragin’ Cajun to finish a season with a .500-plus average (.509) and she led the nation in batting average, slugging percentage (1.130) and home runs per game (0.51). She became the first individual in Sun Belt Conference history to win Student-Athlete of the Year honors a third straight season and was honored as the state of Louisiana’s Hitter of the Year.