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Award nominees
CAA nominates Delle Donne, Evans for NCAA Woman of Year award
2:04 p.m., June 14, 2013--Elena Delle Donne of the University of Delaware and Shante Evans of Hofstra University, both Colonial Athletic Association women’s basketball standouts, have been selected as the conference nominees for the 2013 NCAA Woman of the Year award.
The NCAA Woman of the Year award honors senior student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership. In order to be eligible for the award, nominees must have completed intercollegiate eligibility in their primary sport, graduated no later than the end of the 2013 summer term and achieved a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 2.5.
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Delle Donne ranked second in NCAA Division I with 26.0 points per game and scored 30 or more points in eight games this past season. She helped lead the Blue Hens to a 32-4 overall record and an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance for the first time in school history.
A four-time All-American and three-time CAA Player of the Year, she holds the CAA career records for points, field goals, free throws made and attempted, and blocked shots, and her 3,039 career points placed her fifth all-time in NCAA history. She also owns 11 UD career records as well as numerous season and single game standards.
Delle Donne was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2013 WNBA draft, selected by the Chicago Sky.
In April, Delle Donne received the Honda Award as the top collegiate athlete in her sport, becoming the fourth UD student-athlete to be named a national player of the year in his or her sport. She has been the CAA Scholar-Athlete of the Year in women’s basketball for the past two years and was the 2011-12 CAA Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Delle Donne is a two-time first-team Academic All-American and was selected as the Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year for women’s basketball in 2011-12 and 2012-13.
Away from the court, Delle Donne has been very active with the Mary Campbell Center, which is a group home for people with disabilities in Delaware, and with Special Olympics.
Evans is a three-time honorable mention All-America selection and has received first-team All-CAA and first team All-Metropolitan New York accolades for the past three seasons. She is the CAA's all-time leading rebounder with 1,348 and had the most double-doubles (69) of any active Division I player before exhausting her eligibility. Hofstra retired Evans’ No. 30 jersey before her final collegiate home game versus UNCW on March 3.
Evans scored in double figures in 28 of Hofstra's 29 regular season games this season and notched a double-double in 35 of her last 52 career games. An ultra-durable player, the 6-foot forward played in all of Hofstra’s 137 games in her four seasons. Named to both the John R. Wooden Award and Naismith Trophy watch lists, Evans set numerous program records this season, including the Pride’s all-time points record with 2,116. She became the first 2,000-point scorer in program history and helped guide the Pride to a pair of WNIT appearances in her career.
Off the court, Evans was involved in numerous community service projects throughout her career, including serving food and helping organize donated clothing at the Interface Nutrition Network (INN). She has also spent time reading books to elementary school students and assisting in youth basketball clinics.
The top 10 honorees in NCAA Division I, II and III will be announced in early September, followed by the top three honorees per division. The NCAA Woman of the Year winner will be announced at a dinner in Indianapolis on Oct. 20.