NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Atlantic 10 Conference member institutions have nominated 16 extraordinary student-athletes for the prestigious NCAA Woman of the Year Award including Duquesne's Emma Brinton of the Dukes' swimming and diving team. All 14 A-10 schools have submitted nominees for the national honor, which were announced Friday by the A-10, representing seven sports.
 
The league's Senior Woman Administrators will vote on 16 of the nominees to select two who will represent the Atlantic 10 Conference as 2021 NCAA Woman of the Year finalists.
 
The 16 institutional nominees have been recognized for their leadership and service to their community as well as exceptional academic prowess and notable athletic success. The 16 candidates have noteworthy credentials, including serving as student-athlete leaders, as well as garnering national and A-10 academic honors, and All-Conference awards, and postseason championship participation. A full list of the nominees, their sport, hometown and academic studies are listed below. A full profile of each candidate will be shared on Atlantic10.com beginning Tuesday, July 13.
 
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 31st 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.

Per the NCAA, all conference-level nominees are forwarded to the Woman of the Year selection committee. The selection committee will choose the top 10 honorees in each division. From among those 30 honorees, the selection committee will determine the three finalists in each division. Finally, the members of the Committee on Women's Athletics will vote from among the top nine finalists to determine the 2021 NCAA Woman of the Year. The top 30 honorees will be honored, and the 2021 NCAA Woman of the Year winner will be announced this fall.

Brinton, the most decorated swimmer in Duquesne history, earned a school-record 14 career medals at four A-10 Championships. She won four medals at this past season's league championship meet including gold in the 200 and 400 IM, helping the Dukes to a second-place team finish. Over her career, Brinton took home three gold medals in both the 200 and 400 IM, becoming first Duquesne swimmer to win three career A-10 titles in the same event. 

A U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier in the 200 IM, she recently competed in the Olympic Trials in Omaha, Neb. Brinton was recently named a CoSIDA Academic All-District selection and is a four-time CSCAA Scholar All-American as well as a three-time Atlantic 10 All-Academic Team honoree. She graduated with a 3.76 cumulative GPA as a Physician Assistant Studies major at Duquesne.


Sarah Helen Shepherd, Davidson 

• Sport: Swimming & Diving
• Hometown: Chapel Hill, N.C.
• Major: Biology
• Minor: Health & Human Values

Araion Bradshaw, Dayton 

• Sport: Basketball
• Hometown: Boston, Mass.
• Major: Civil Engineering
• Masters: Engineering Management

Bridget Doherty, Dayton

• Sport: Volleyball
• Hometown: Overland Park, Kan.
• Majors: Finance 
• Minor: Business Analytics

Emma Brinton, Duquesne

• Sport: Swimming & Diving
• Hometown: Landenberg, Pa.
• Major: Physician Assistant Studies
• Masters: Physician Assistant Studies

Brianna Pinto, Fordham

• Sport: Softball
• Hometown: Franklin Square, N.Y.
• Major: Accounting Information Systems 
• Masters: Professional Accounting

Ashley Lewis, George Mason

• Sport: Track & Field
• Hometown: Boston, Mass.
• Major: Bioengineering
• Minor: Bioinformatics 

Jenna Cone, George Washington

• Sport: Softball
• Hometown: Trabuco Canyon, Calif.
• Major: Communications 
• Minor: History & Sociology

Grace Mancini, La Salle

• Sport: Track & Field/Cross Country
• Hometown: Media, Pa.
• Major: Mathematics / Computer Science 
• Masters: Cybersecurity

Olivia Muscella, Massachusetts

• Sport: Lacrosse
• Hometown: Malvern, Pa.
• Major: Sport Management 
• Masters: Business Analytics

Lotte Black, Rhode Island

• Sport: Track & Field/Cross Country
• Hometown: Ambler, Pa.
• Major: Kinesiology
• Minor: Nutrition 
• Masters: Kinesiology

Brooke Fazio, Richmond

• Sport: Track & Field/Cross Country
• Hometown: Basking Ridge, N.J.
• Major: Biology 

Brittney Wright, Richmond

• Sport: Lacrosse
• Hometown: Moorestown, N.J.
• Major: Rhetoric and Communications
• Minor: Entrepreneurship

Destinee Johnson, St. Bonaventure

• Sport: Lacrosse
• Hometown: Rochester, N.Y.
• Major: Sport Studies
• Masters: MBA

Jordan Olenginski, Saint Joseph's

• Sport: Field Hockey
• Hometown: Mountain Top, Pa.
• Major: Biology 

Sadie Wise, Saint Louis

• Sport: Softball
• Hometown: Kirkwood, Mo.
• Major: Occupational Sciences
• Masters: Occupational Therapy

Emiy van Hijfte, VCU

• Sport: Field Hockey
• Hometown: Amstelveen, Netherlands
• Major: Criminal Justice / Sociology 
• Masters: Amstelveen, Netherlands

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.