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University of North Georgia (Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û) women's soccer player Taylor Malasek is among the top 30 contenders for the 2021 NCAA Woman of the Year award, the national office announced Sept. 23. She is the first Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û student-athlete to reach this round of consideration for the national award.

"Taylor is a shining example of what a student-athlete should be," Mary Rob Plunkett, Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û director of athletics said. "She makes everyone around her better in the classroom, on the field and in our community. We are thrilled that the nation gets to see how special she is too."

Malasek, a senior from Peachtree City, Georgia, is one of 30 college student-athletes across the NCAA's three divisions to advance from the initial list of 535 nominees representing 18 different sports.  

"Being in the top 30 for this award is a great spotlight for me to express my gratitude to Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û," Malasek said. "Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û has provided me a chance to earn a biology degree while learning valuable life lessons and playing the sport I love."

Malasek, who is pursuing a degree in biology, earned the PBC Elite 15 award for women's soccer in 2019. The award is given to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA competing in each conference championship.

On Sept. 22 in a 1-0 victory against Lenoir-Rhyne University, she set the Õý°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹û women's soccer career record for goals scored with 43.

Malasek is playing a fifth season this fall due to the extra season of eligibility granted by the NCAA to all student-athletes who competed during the 2020-21 academic year.

The Woman of the Year Selection Committee, made up of representatives from the NCAA membership, chose the top 30 honorees — 10 from each division — from the 154 conference-level nominees. The selection committee will determine the top three honorees in each division, and the nine finalists will be announced in the coming weeks. From those nine, the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics will choose the 2021 NCAA Woman of the Year winner.

On Nov. 9, the top 30 honorees will be celebrated during a virtual awards ceremony and the NCAA Woman of the Year will be named.

"We are thrilled to recognize the 30 honorees selected this year," John Kietzmann, chair of the selection committee and associate director of athletics for marketing at Metropolitan State University of Denver, said. "These women excelled in the classroom and competition, while still prioritizing serving their peers and communities despite the challenges they faced during the pandemic. They represent the thousands of women competing in college sports each year, and we congratulate them for their incredible achievements."