Harris Nominated for 2023 NCAA Woman of the Year Award
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – The Atlantic Coast Conference has nominated Miami’s Lauryn Harris (Track and Field) and NC State’s Kelsey Chmiel (Cross Country/Track and Field) for the 2023 NCAA Woman of the Year Award.
The NCAA Woman of the Year award established in 1991 honors graduating female student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership.
“We are proud to recognize each of the incredible women that were nominated for this year’s NCAA Woman of the Year,” said ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, Ph.D. “We are honored as a league to have Kelsey and Lauryn represent the ACC and the best in college athletics who are thriving not only in the classroom, but also in athletics and their communities.”
Harris graduated from Miami with Magna Cum Laude status with Departmental Honors in Political Science as well as the Inaugural 2023 Ibis Award, the highest student-athlete honor given for accomplishments not only in competition, but in the community and classroom. She has recorded six straight semesters with a perfect GPA.
Following her athletic and academic performance over the 2022-23 season, she was named to the 2023 Outdoor All-ACC Academic Team, one of three student-athletes at Miami named to the 2022-23 College Sport Communicators Academic All-District® Men’s and Women’s Track and Field/Cross Country Teams. The Hurricanes took third place at the ACC Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
In the community, Harris is a member of Miami’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, the co-president of UM’s Black Student-Athlete Alliance and the 2022 ACC Unite Award winner. As co-president, she helped to execute programming, including a mental health roundtable discussion and the Second Annual Black Networking Event, and promoting core values of community, development, and health. The hurdler and jumper for the Hurricanes also participated in the Miami Track and Field Police Athletic League (PAL) Clinic, which gives track and field student-athletes the opportunity to interact with local youth and give back to the community.
The former volunteer at the Voice In Sport Foundation worked from 2021-2022 on the national level to expose the gender inequalities within athletics and urge lawmakers to pass more equitable legislation alongside other women athletes to conduct in-depth Title IX research and conversations with Congressmen. Combining her passion for athletics and politics, she was able to help create change that will improve the lives of future women athletes.
In 2022, the Cheltenham, Maryland, native was a part of the Hurricanes’ ACC Outdoor Track & Field Championship team where she earned All-ACC Second Team honors for her performances in the 100m hurdles and the long jump. Harris was also a member of the 2022 and 2023 Indoor and Outdoor All-ACC Academic Teams.
NC State’s Chmiel heads into her graduate year with a plethora of athletic accomplishments including being named a nine-time All-American, a two-time NCAA Cross Country Champion, a four-time ACC Champion and a three-time individual ACC Champion.
In her 2023 Outdoor Track and Field campaign, Chmiel was a two-time All-American, a two-time NCAA Champion qualifier and a two-time NCAA East Regional qualifier. The two-time Indoor Track and Field All-American and 5000m ACC Champion made the All-ACC Indoor Team and qualified for the Indoor NCAA Championships.
The 2021 and 2022 NCAA Champion was a finalist for the 2022 Honda Sport Award, an annual award given to the best collegiate female athlete in each of 12 NCAA sponsored sports. In 2021 alone, the graduate student was named the USTFCCCA Southeast Region Cross Country Women’s Athlete of the Year and ACC Women’s Cross Country Runner and Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
In the classroom, Chmiel is studying veterinary science where she finished her undergraduate degree in just two and a half years. The Raleigh, North Carolina, native has also had a greater impact on the community outside of school and sport by volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club of Wake County as well as the Turtle Rescue Team, something tailored to her studies and future career.
Academically, Chmiel is a 2023 recipient of the ACC Postgraduate Scholarship, four-time All-ACC Academic team and USTFCCCA All-Academic team member as well as the Elite 90 Award Recipient in 2022.
Chmiel and Harris emerged as the ACC’s 2023 NCAA Woman of the Year candidates following a vote of the league’s member schools. The strong list of nominees from league member institutions also included:
Boston College: Jenn Medjid (Lacrosse)
Clemson: Valerie Cagle (Softball)
Duke: Deja Davis (Softball); Chloe Beck (Tennis)
Florida State: Kaley Mudge (Softball)
Georgia Tech: Erin Moss (Volleyball)
Louisville: Mykasa Robinson (Basketball)
Miami: Daevenia Achong (Tennis)
North Carolina: Erin Matson (Field Hockey)
Notre Dame: Olivia Markezich (Cross Country/Track & Field)
Pitt: Serena Gray (Volleyball)
Syracuse: Meaghan Tyrrell (Lacrosse)
Virginia: Kate Douglass (Swimming)
Virginia Tech: Sarah Shackelford (Swimming)
Wake Forest: Lauren Walsh (Golf)
A record-breaking 619 female student-athletes were nominated by NCAA member schools in consideration for the 2023 Woman of the Year award.
All conference-level nominees are forwarded to the NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee who 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 2023 NCAA Woman of the Year.
Later this fall, the national Top 30 honorees and nine finalists will be announced. The 2023 NCAA Woman of the Year will be announced at the 2024 NCAA Convention in Phoenix.
To learn more about the award program and previous winners, visit ncaa.org/woty.
