ORONO, Maine -- Softball alumna Erika Leonard and women's soccer alumna Kendra Ridley have each been nominated for the 2018 NCAA Woman of the Year Award. A record 581 female college athletes were nominated by NCAA member schools for the award this year.

Earlier this season, both Leonard and Ridley were nominated for the 2017-17 America East Woman of the Year Award, with Leonard being named a finalist for the distinguished accolade. The duo also received the prestigious 'M' Club Dean Smith award, presented annually to the top male and female student-athletes. To be considered for this award, athletes are nominated by their coaches and must have demonstrated outstanding academic and athletic achievement, be of outstanding character and a contributor and leader within their community.

Leonard, a two-time America East all-conference selection, graduated in the spring of 2018 with a degree in nursing. Leonard ended her career at UMaine as an eight-time Dean's List honoree and a Presidential Scholar. A five-time America East Commissioner's Honor Roll selection, Leonard was a 2017 recipient of the America East Elite 17 award, presented to the student-athlete with the highest GPA among students competing in the championship in their respective sport. Leonard, a three-time America East All-Academic team selection, is a member of the Omicron XI Honor Society and Sigma Theta Tau Honor Society along with being a two-year member of the UMaine Athletic Department's Elite-13 group. On the diamond, Leonard was named to the America East All-Conference second team twice and earned a spot on the America East All-Tournament team in 2016. Aside from academics and athletics, Leonard was a tutor for student-athletes in anatomy & physiology and spent countless hours volunteering for organizations like St. Francis Hospital, Eastern Maine Medical Center, The Wadsworth Glen Healthcare Center, the Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity and the Ronald McDonald House.

Ridley, also a nursing graduate in 2018, was a three-year captain for the Black Bears. Am eight-time Dean's List member and three-time Presidential Scholar, Ridley earned four selections to the America East Commissioner's Honor Roll and a pair of America East All-Academic team marks. She is a two-time member of Team Maine, representing the highest GPA on her team. In 2017, Ridley was honored by the UMaine College of Natural Sciences, Forestry and Agriculture with its highest-ranking junior award, one of only four students to receive the accolade that year. A two-time America East All-Conference second team selection, Ridley also earned a pair of selections to the America East All-Championship team and a spot on the league's All-Rookie squad. Ridley started 60 of her 61 games she appeared in and led the team in minutes played in both her junior and senior seasons. The four-year letter winner has volunteered for the Healthy High 5K and the "Be The Match" Bone Marrow Drive while also offering her free time at the Ronald McDonald House. The Greater Bangor Multiple Sclerosis Chapter honored Ridley with its Shining Stars award for her work with the "Walk for MS" initiative.

The NCAA Woman of the Year award, established in 1991, honors graduating female college athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves in academics, athletics, service and leadership throughout their collegiate careers.

The nominees competed in 20 different women's sports across all three NCAA divisions, including 251 from Division I, 131 from Division II and 199 from Division III.

Conferences will now select up to two nominees each from the pool of school nominees. Then, the Woman of the Year selection committee, made up of representatives from the NCAA membership, will choose the Top 30 honorees – 10 from each division. From the Top 30, the selection committee determines the top three honorees from each division and announces the nine finalists in September. The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics then chooses the 2018 NCAA Woman of the Year from those nine. The Top 30 honorees will be celebrated and the 2018 NCAA Woman of the Year will be announced at the annual award ceremony Oct. 28 in Indianapolis.

-UMaine-