Recent UConn field hockey graduate Anna Middendorf, a three-time All-American from Bremen, Germany, has been chosen as the University of Connecticut’s nomination for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Woman of the Year award.
Middendorf has been an instrumental part of UConn’s recent success, leading the Huskies to four-straight NCAA semifinals, including back-to-back NCAA championships in 2013 and 2014. The Huskies also have won five-consecutive Big East titles.
The NCAA Woman of the Year award honors graduating female student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership.
Middendorf’s name and credentials will join female college athletes from all over the country in the award pool, which will be trimmed to 10 Division I athletes in early September. Later in the month, three athletes are selected as finalists.
The 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year will be announced on Sunday, Oct. 22 at the awards dinner in Indianapolis, Ind.
A political science major, Middendorf maintained a 3.7 GPA despite a full workload as a field hockey player under head coach Nancy Stevens. She was named an Outstanding Senior Scholar Athlete at the 64th annual UConn Club Awards on April 26.
The German native was the centerpiece of the UConn defense throughout her career, earning two selections as a Third Team All-American and one as a First Team All-American in her final season. She was also a two-time All-Mideast Region First Team player.
In her senior campaign, Middendorf tallied a career-high 31 points as a defender – including a career-best 13 goals.
She was named Big East Co-Defensive Player of the Year and helped the UConn defense finish in the top five in all of Division I in goals allowed per game for the third-straight season.
In addition to her athletic and academic feats, Middendorf attended the Paris Climate Summit last December as a student representative for UConn. She also served on UConn’s Fair Labor Practices committee and traveled to Washington, D.C. and Utah for national meetings.
Middendorf looks to join Rebecca Lobo, the only UConn student-athlete to win the NCAA Woman of the Year award since the honor began in 1991. The former UConn basketball player was honored in 1995.
