Hayes, Rumrill Named NCAA Woman of the Year Nominees

Jul 15, 2020

TUCSON, Ariz. -- Recent UA graduates Shardonee Hayes and Mackenzie Rumrill have been announced as nominees for the 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year, the NCAA announced this week.

Hayes competed for the Arizona volleyball team from 2016-19 and Rumrill was a member of the swimming and diving team from 2015-19.

The two Wildcats are now in the running to become Arizona's fifth NCAA Woman of the Year. UA's four winners are more than any school in the country. In addition to the four winners, Arizona has also had five finalists for the NCAA recognition.

The NCAA Woman of the Year Award, rooted in Title IX, was established in 1991 to recognize graduating female student-athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves in academics, athletics, service and leadership throughout their collegiate careers.

A record 605 female college athletes were nominated by NCAA member schools for the 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year Award. Nominees for the award stem from all three divisions, featuring 259 nominees from Division I, 126 from Division II and 220 from Division III. Nominees competed in 24 sports, with multisport student-athletes accounting for 128 of the nominees.

A four-year letterwinner for head coach Dave Rubio and the Arizona volleyball team, Hayes was integral member of the program from 2016-2019. Hayes helped the Wildcats to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances and two 20-win seasons in her career. Hayes saw action in 176 sets in her career, totaling 190 kills (1.08/set) on an impressive .325 hitting percentage in her UA career. A two-plus-year started at middle blocker, Hayes was a constant force at the net in her career, averaging 0.75 blocks per set.

"Shardonee, throughout her time at Arizona consistently demonstrated the character traits it would require to be considered for such a prestigious award," said Rubio. "And, because of that she is very deserving of this nomination."

A two-time All-American, Mackenzie Rumrill was one of the top swimmers in the country, excelling both in the pool and in the classroom in her time at Arizona. Rumrill, who owns three spots on Arizona's all-time top-10 lists in the UA record books, was a four-time CSCAA Scholar All-American and three-time second-team Pac-12 all-academic honoree in her career.

"Mackenzie exhibited daily all the principles you want in a student-athlete," said head Arizona swimming and diving coach Augie Busch. "She is hard-working, supportive, and reliable in every way. I am so happy for her and our program with this nomination, and cannot wait to see all the amazing things she does in life."

Conference offices will select up to two nominees each from their pool of member school nominees. All nominees who compete in a sport not sponsored by their school's primary conference, as well as associate conference nominees and independent nominees, will be considered by a selection committee. 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 Woman of the Year selection committee will determine the top three honorees in each division and announce nine finalists. The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics then will choose the 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year, who will be named this fall.

For more on the NCAA Woman of the Year click here.