9/13/2004 - Women's Basketball
Davidson Named NCAA Woman of the Year for Maryland
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- Former Navy women's basketball standout Courtney Davidson (New Oxford, Pa.) has been selected as Maryland's NCAA Woman of the Year, it was announced Monday by the NCAA office.
The NCAA annually bestows this honor to one woman from each of the 50 states plus Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. American volleyball player Karla Kucerkova has been named as the 2004 winner for the District of Columbia. Nominees must have earned a varsity letter in an NCAA-sponsored sport and competed during the 2003-04 academic year, completed their intercollegiate eligibility in their primary sport by the end of the 2004 spring season, and carry at least a 2.5 cumulative grade-point average. Nominees are judged based upon their service and leadership, academic achievement and athletics excellence.
The initial 52 winners will soon be narrowed down to 10 national finalists, with a final NCAA Woman of the Year to be announced at an October 31 banquet in Indianapolis.
Davidson joins Nicole Aunapu as the lone Navy student-athletes to have been selected as Maryland's NCAA Woman of the Year since the inception of the award in 1991. Aunapu, a member of the Navy soccer team, received the award in 1999. Other Patriot League student-athletes to have garnered state honors are Kelly Marsh (Bucknell, 1991, cross country), Jennifer Smith (Colgate, 1995, basketball) and Sara Bloom (Bucknell, 1997, rowing). Of this group of past state honorees, only Marsh and Bloom were selected as a national finalist.
Commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Marine Corps upon graduating from the Naval Academy in May, Davidson was a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American, received an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship and was twice selected as the Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year in women's basketball. She currently is attending graduate school at Maryland and will begin her service to the Marine Corps -- aviation -- in January.
Navy's team captain during the 2003-04 season, Davidson is the lone Mid to have been selected First-Team All-Patriot League three times in a career and to have garnered all-league accolades during each of her four seasons. The all-time leading scorer at Navy with 1,857-career points, Davidson also holds the school and league record with 245-career three-point field goals made.
During Commissioning Week ceremonies this past May, Davidson received the Vice Adm. William Lawrence Sword, presented annually to the woman of the graduating class who is considered to have personally excelled in athletics during her years of varsity competition, as well as the Senator Margaret Chase Smith Leadership and Excellence Award, given to the female midshipman of the graduating class who is determined to have the highest level of conscience-driven leadership, dedicated service to the greater good and personal independence and integrity, while displaying the highest standards of professionalism and personal conduct as an exemplary role model.
