Brandi Brown Among Conference NCAA Woman-of-the-Year Honorees

by YSU

Friday, Jul 26, 2013 5:09 pm

Indianapolis, Ind. - Youngstown State women's basketball player Brandi Brown is one of more than 140 NCAA female student-athletes selected as a 2013 Woman-of-the-Year conference honoree, the organization announced on Thursday.

Originally a total of 429 female student-athletes, spanning NCAA Divisions I, II and III, were nominated for the 22nd annual NCAA Woman of the Year award. Brown and UIC's Coryn Schmit are the two nominees from the Horizon League, which the league previously announced last month.

In August, the Woman of the Year selection committee will select the top 10 honorees in each division from this pool to be recognized. In September, the selection committee will announce the top nine finalists (three from each division), and the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics will vote from amongst those finalists to determine the 2013 Woman of the Year.

On Oct. 20 in Indianapolis, the NCAA will announce the 2013 Woman of the Year and will honor the top 30 nominees.

The Woman of the Year Award honors graduating student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, community service and leadership.

Brown, the 2013 Horizon League Player of the Year, was one of two players nationally to rank in the top 20 in both scoring and rebounding. The senior led Youngstown State to a 23-10 mark in 2012-13, including an appearance in the WNIT. A captain both her junior and senior years, Brown spearheaded the Penguins' turnaround from a program that went 0-30 her freshman year.

The Pomona, Calif. native departs the YSU program as the school record holder in rebounds, minutes, free throws, games and starts; Brown is just one of two players in Horizon League history to finish with at least 2,000 career points (2,079) and 1,000 rebounds (1,239). Brown capped her career by receiving First Team Academic All-American and Honorable Mention AP All-America honors.

A Communications Studies major, Brown graduated Magna Cum Laude with a 3.74 grade-point average. A member of Lambda Pi Eta, a communications honors society, Brown regularly volunteered to read to area elementary school classes, along with speaking to young girls about self-esteem, relationships and faith. An active member of the YSU faith community, Brown served as president of the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.

The NCAA established the Woman of the Year Award in 1991 to celebrate the achievements of women in intercollegiate athletics. Now in its 23rd year, the award is unique because it recognizes not only the athletics achievements of outstanding young women, but also their academic achievements, community service and leadership.

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