Indianapolis, Ind. - NCAA member schools have nominated 517 student-athletes for the 2016 Woman of the Year award that includes senior Molly Cuevas of the Adelphi University field hockey program.

The NCAA 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.
 
This pool of school honorees marks the largest in the 26-year history of the award. 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, and 127 of the nominees competed in more than one sport in college.

A 3.707 student-athlete majoring in sport management, Cuevas wrapped up her career in Garden City as one of the most-decorated field hockey student-athletes in school history.  She was a four-time First Team All-Conference selection, and was twice named a First Team All-American. Cuevas was very involved with Adelphi's SAAC, and helped out in a number of philanthropic efforts off the field as well. Most recently, the California native was named an Academic All-American while also being named one of three finalists for the Northeast-10 Conference Woman of the Year award.
 
The NCAA encourages member schools to honor their top graduating female student-athletes each year by submitting their names for consideration for the Woman of the Year award.
 
Next, conferences assess their member school nominees and select 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 in September. The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics then chooses from among those nine to determine the 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year.
 
The top 30 honorees will be celebrated and the 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year winner will be announced at the annual award ceremony Oct. 16 in Indianapolis.

To view the list of school nominees, click here.

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About Adelphi Athletics:
Adelphi University joined the Northeast-10 Conference in the fall of 2009 and in the past seven seasons has collected 18 regular season conference titles, 22 tournament championships, 29 individual crowns and captured the Northeast-10 Presidents' Cup three times (2013, 2014, and 2016), while winning five NCAA Division II National Championships.

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