NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Rhode Island standouts Trinity Smith and Julia Fortin are among 17 nominees from the Atlantic 10 who are nominees for the prestigious NCAA Woman of the Year Award, the conference announced Tuesday.
The 17 nominees - who represent nine sports across 13 institutions - are a record total for the league A-10.
The league's Senior Woman Administrators will vote on the nominees to select two student-athletes who will be named A-10 Woman of the Year and represent the Atlantic 10 Conference as 2023 NCAA Woman of the Year conference finalists.
The 17 institutional nominees have been recognized for their leadership skills, their academic prowess, exceptional athletic success and for their community service. The candidates have noteworthy credentials, garnering All-Conference awards, postseason championship participation and national and A-10 academic honors. A complete list of the nominees, their sport, hometown and academic studies is included below. A full profile of each candidate will be shared on Atlantic10.com.
Smith was an NCAA Regional qualifier in the 100-meter hurdles in the spring, capping off a stellar career with the Rams. A two-time Atlantic 10 Outdoor Track Performer of the Week this season, Smith set a meet, facility, and program record time of 13.40 seconds en route to her A-10 100-meter hurdle crown at Outdoors this year. Smith broke her own record twice in as many weeks during the outdoor season, and owned a 4.0 grade-point average as a graduate student in Physical Education and Health Studies.
A two-year team captain, Smith was a two-time New England champion in the 100 hurdles. In 2021, she won the 100 hurdles, 200 meters and the 4x100 relay to lead the Rams to the New England team title. Earlier this year, she was part of the Atlantic 10-champion 4x400 relay team, and she was the 60-meter hurdles winner at the New England Indoor Championship. The program record holder in 60 and 100 hurdles. She also served as the vice president of URI's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and was the founder and president of the URI Minority Student-Athlete Crew. She interned with the URI Sports Medicine Training Room, is a member of both the Alima International Dance Association and the Black Student Union. She was a representative for the Black Student-Athlete Summit and a Student-Athlete Orientation Leader, among many other activities.
Fortin was a three-time Atlantic 10 champion (2019, 2021, 2022) with the Rhode Island rowing team and was a First Team All-Conference selection in 2023. A three-time NCAA Championship participant, she was part of 2019 team that had program's highest finish ever at NCAA National Championship. Fortin graduated Cum Laude with degrees in both Communications and Public Relations while also completing a master's degree with a 4.0 GPA. A 2022 National Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association Scholar Athlete, she was a two-year captain for the rowing team. Fortin spent three years as a student-athlete orientation leader and also interned with the URI Athletics Media Relations office. She was recently hired as a graduate assistant in the Sports Information office at Boston College.
One of the most prestigious NCAA awards, the Woman of the Year Award was established in 1991 to celebrate the achievements of women in intercollegiate athletics. Now in its 33rd year, the NCAA Woman of the Year award honors graduating female college athletes who have distinguished themselves in academics, athletics, service and leadership throughout their collegiate careers.
Per the NCAA, all conference-level nominees are advanced 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 2023 NCAA Woman of the Year. The top 30 honorees will be honored, and the 2023 NCAA Woman of the Year winner will be announced this fall.
About the Atlantic 10 Conference
The Atlantic 10 Conference was founded in 1975 and consists of 15 diverse members across nine states and Washington, D.C. The mission of the Atlantic 10 is to provide an enhanced student-athlete experience through 22 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, Loyola University Chicago, 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.
2023 Atlantic 10 Conference
NCAA Woman of the Year Institutional Nominees
