Women's Track and Field | July 14, 2022

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Atlantic 10 Conference member institutions have nominated 14 outstanding female student-athletes for the prestigious NCAA Woman of the Year Award. Among the pool of 14 nominees, which were announced Thursday by the A-10, is La Salle women's track and field senior Liz Mancini.
 
The league's Senior Woman Administrators will vote on the nominees and select two to represent the conference as 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year conference finalists. The 14 nominees represent 12 A-10 institutions and nine different sports. They have been recognized for their exceptional academic prowess and notable athletic success as well as their leadership and service to their community.
 
Mancini dominated on the track during the 2021-22 indoor and outdoor track and field season. The senior capped off the indoor season winning the individual title at the Atlantic 10 Indoor Championships in the 3K with a time of 9:35.87. She followed that success with her first-ever individual title at the outdoor championships claiming gold in the 5K with a time of 16:38.98. She was the first Explorer to claim gold in the event at the championships since sister, Grace Mancini, did so back in 2009. 
 
Mancini went on to compete at the NCAA East Preliminaries in the 5K with a record-breaking time of 15:56.40, nearly 42 seconds under her gold-medal winning time of 16:38.98 at the conference championships. The performance punched her ticket to nationals making her just the fourth Explorer in program history to appear in the NCAA Championships.
 
In addition to her performance on the track, the senior nursing major is a standout in the classroom. She was named to the A-10 All-Academic Team and the Philly-SIDA Academic All-Area team. Mancini also earned La Salle Athletics' Scholar-Athlete of the Year distinction.

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 32nd 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. It's worth nothing that this year marks the 50th Anniversary of the passage of Title IX.

Per the NCAA, all conference-level nominees are forwarded 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 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year. The top 30 honorees will be honored, and the 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year winner will be announced this fall.