October 19, 2015

Clarion University’s Kristin Day named 2015 NCAA Woman of the Year

Contact: Kevin Hensil, khensil@passhe.edu

Harrisburg – Proving again that she can compete at any level, Clarion University of Pennsylvania’s Kristin Day Sunday night was named the 2015 NCAA Woman of the Year, only the fourth Division II athlete to win the award and the first ever from a college or university in Pennsylvania.
A three-time NCAA Division II national champion diver while in college, Day graduated from Clarion University in May with a perfect 4.0 grade point average while majoring in chemistry. She is currently enrolled in medical school at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine on an NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship.
“Kristin Day’s accomplishments are truly remarkable,” said Frank T. Brogan, chancellor of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education Chancellor. “As a student, an athlete and an individual, she has set a very high bar for all of us. All of the awards and honors she has received are well deserved, and make us very proud.”
Day was presented her latest award by ESPN color analyst and former USA softball Gold Medal winner Jessica Mendoza, who served as emcee for the 25th annual ceremony.
The Woman of the Year program honors the “academic achievements, athletics excellence, community service and leadership” of graduating female college athletes from among all three divisions within the NCAA. Only one winner is selected each year. Last year’s honoree was Elizabeth Tucker from the University of Notre Dame.
"What a great night for Kristin Day – and for Clarion University," said Clarion University President Karen M. Whitney. "Her accomplishments in the classroom, in community service and as a national champion diver show Kristin's commitment to personal excellence in everything she does. We congratulate her on this great honor and know she is the epitome of Courageous. Confident. Clarion."
Day racked up a host of awards and honors during her collegiate career. In addition to her three national championships, she was an eight-time all American. She was named Capital One NCAA Division II Academic All-America of the Year in July and was a two time At-Large Academic All-America of the Year. She also won the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference’s Pete Nevins Scholar Athlete of the Year award and was the NCAA Division II "Elite 89" award winner at swimming and diving nationals.

Day won the NCAA Division II one meter dive at this year’s national championships. She won both the 1- and 3-meter events in 2014, setting an NCAA record in the latter.
The Board of Governors of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education recognized Day for her athletic and academic accomplishments with a special resolution at its meeting in July.

Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education is the largest provider of higher education in the Commonwealth, with about 107,000 degree-seeking students and thousands more who are enrolled in certificate and other career-development programs. Collectively, the 14 universities that comprise the State System offer more than 2,300 degree and certificate programs in more than 530 academic areas. Nearly 520,000 State System university alumni live in Pennsylvania.
The State System universities are Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania. The universities also operate branch campuses in Oil City (Clarion), Freeport and Punxsutawney (IUP), and Clearfield (Lock Haven), and offer classes and programs at several regional centers, including the Dixon University Center in Harrisburg and in Center City in Philadelphia.