NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Duquesne's Madelyn Hoying (Grosse Ile, Mich. / Grosse Ile) of the swimming and diving team and Liz Wayne (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Cheyenne Mountain) of the Dukes' volleyball team were named as two of the Atlantic 10 Conference's 15 nominees for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award, league officials announced on Tuesday afternoon. 

One of the most prestigious NCAA awards, the NCAA established the Woman of the Year Award in 1991 to celebrate the achievements of women in intercollegiate athletics.

Now in its 30th year, the NCAA Woman of the Year award honors graduating female college athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves in academics, athletics, service and leadership throughout their collegiate careers.

The 2020 Atlantic 10 institutional nominees are recognized for their athletic prowess and outstanding academic success, complimented by their robust ability to sustain dynamic leadership and be standout citizens within their communities. The 15 candidates have noteworthy credentials, including national academic honors, postseason championship participation, and All-Conference award winners, and significant campus involvement, including serving as student-athlete leaders.

The league's Senior Woman Administrators will vote on 15 of the nominees to select two who will represent the Atlantic 10 Conference as 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year finalists.
 
After the Atlantic 10 and all other leagues have selected up to two conference nominees, the Woman of the Year selection committee, made up of representatives from the NCAA membership, will then choose the top 30 honorees — 10 from each division. From the top 30, the selection committee determines the top three honorees from each division and announces the nine finalists.

The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics then chooses the 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year from those nine. The top 30 honorees will be recognized, and the 2020 Woman of the Year will be announced, on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2020. Heather MacLean of Massachusetts, a standout track and field athlete, was selected as one of the nine finalists in 2018, the last A-10 nominee to reach the finalist stage.

A full profile of each candidate will be shared on Atlantic10.com beginning Wednesday, July 1.

Madelyn Hoying

• Biomedical Engineering - Physics double major / Mathematics minor
• Plans to pursue Ph.D. in Bioastronautics at MIT and Harvard University in Fall 2020
• Awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship
• Took part in internship at NASA's Langley Research Center in 2018
• Create FosterRec, a nonprofit dedicated to providing access to athletic opportunities for children in foster care
• Two-time Atlantic 10 Team Champion (2018, 2019)
• Recorded 12 of her personal best times during her senior campaign in 2020 including 100-yard breaststroke and 200-yard breaststroke at the 2020 A-10 Championship meet

Liz Wayne

• Psychology major / Peace, Justice & Conflic Resolution - Global Health double minor
• Served as SAAC president, Atlantic 10 Conference's representative of SAAC
• Held internship positions at Allegheny County Jail, Allegheny General Hospital and UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital
• Traveled to Jamaica in 2018 to aid in construction projects at the Caribbean Christian Centre for the Deaf
• Led Duquesne and ranked sixth in the Atlantic 10 with a .326 hitting percentage in 2019
• Paced Dukes with 2.66 kills per set as a senior in 2019
• Also a member of the Dukes' track & field team for two seasons
• Still holds Duquesne indoor track & field high jump record

About the Atlantic 10 Conference
The Atlantic 10 Conference was founded in 1975 and consists of 14 diverse members across eight states and Washington, D.C. The mission of the Atlantic 10 is to provide an enhanced student-athlete experience through 21 nationally competitive championship sports. The basketball-centric conference is committed to integrity, educational excellence and providing quality equitable championship experiences for its student-athletes, coaches, and support staff. The membership consists of Davidson College, the University of Dayton, Duquesne University, Fordham University, George Mason University, The George Washington University, La Salle University, the University of Massachusetts, the University of Rhode Island, University of Richmond, St. Bonaventure University, Saint Joseph's University, Saint Louis University and Virginia Commonwealth University. For more information, visit www.atlantic10.com.