Crimmins Named WAC Nominee For NCAA Woman Of The Year Award

DENVER, Colo. – UMKC volleyball student-athlete Sydney Crimmins (Clay Center, Kan.) has been selected by the WAC senior woman administrators to represent the WAC for the 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year award. In its 26th year, the award recognizes graduating female student-athletes for excellence in academics, athletics, community service and leadership.

A Clay Center, Kan., native, Crimmins earned a bachelor's degree in health sciences in May, graduating magna cum laude with a 3.91 cumulative GPA. She earned a prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship and was the female selection for the 2015-16 Stan Bates Award, given to the WAC's top male and female scholar-athletes. Crimmins is pursuing a master's degree in public administration.

A top 30 finalist for the Senior C.L.A.S.S. Award, Crimmins was a three-time Academic All-WAC honoree and was also named a Distinguished Scholar on The Summit League Commissioner's List of Academic Excellence in 2012-13. She was twice named the UMKC Above and Beyond recipient, given to the top student-athlete at the school, and was the 2013-14 Cynthia Joy Gabel Memorial Endowment winner. Crimmins was also a member of the Bachelor of Health Sciences Society and the Golden Key International Honor Society.

A four-year starter, Crimmins was a three-time All-WAC selection and was named to seven all-tournament teams during her career. She holds the school record with 117 consecutive matches played, ranks third all-time in block assists (324), eighth in hitting percentage (.255) and ninth in total kills (1,017). The two-time team captain posted a .328 hitting percentage as a senior, the third-best in a single-season in UMKC history.

In addition to her stellar academic and athletic accomplishments, Crimmins volunteered in numerous community service organizations and events, including the Happy Bottoms Diaper Drive, Children's Mercy Wednesday Night Live event, the NCAA Backpack Program, UMKC Walk-A-Mile in Her Shoes, Celebrity Reading Day, UMKC Move-In Day and the Morning Glory Cafe, among many others.

The WAC representative of the National SAAC, Crimmins served as vice president of both the UMKC and WAC SAACs. She was also the UMKC Starr Women's Hall of Fame Introductory Speaker in 2015, introducing Robin Roberts.

Crimmins was one of 515 female student-athletes nominated for the honor, the most ever in the history of the program.

The Woman of the Year selection committee will next select the top 10 honorees in each division. These top 30 honorees will be announced in early September. The selection committee will then choose and announce the top nine finalists (three from each division) at the end of September. The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics will vote from amongst those nine finalists to determine the 2016 Woman of the Year.

The top 30 honorees will be honored and the 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year will be named at the annual ceremony in Indianapolis on Sunday, Oct. 16.

To view the complete list of conference nominees, click here.

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