INDIANAPOLIS - Nicole Aunapu Mann (USNA '99), a former standout on the Navy women's soccer team and current astronaut with NASA and colonel in the United States Marine Corps, is one of six former NCAA student-athletes who will be recognized with the NCAA Silver Anniversary Award as part of the upcoming 2024 NCAA Convention on January 10 in Phoenix. The award acknowledges former student-athletes for their outstanding collegiate and professional achievements in conjunction with the 25th anniversary of the conclusion of their collegiate athletic careers. The exclusive list of 2024 recipients consists of Aunapu Mann (Women's Soccer), Jerry Azumah (New Hampshire - Football), Shannon Boxx (Notre Dame - Women's Soccer), John Cena (Springfield - Football), Misty May-Treanor (Long Beach State - Volleyball) and Cindy Parlow Cone (North Carolina - Women's Soccer).

Mann starred on the soccer field at the United States Naval Academy from 1995-1998 and built Navy into a perennial power with the first four winning seasons in a streak that would last 21 years. Mann, who started 74 of her 75 appearances while contributing one goal and four assists as a defender, helped guide the Mids to their first postseason in 1996 and, as a senior, captained Navy through an undefeated Patriot League campaign for the program's first conference title in 1998. One of the most decorated women's soccer players in Patriot League history, Mann garnered First Team All-Patriot League recognition and United Soccer Coaches All-Region honors all four years and was named Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons. In addition, she was named to the Patriot League All-Decade Women's Soccer Team in 2000 and the Patriot League Women's Soccer 25th Anniversary Team in 2015.

Mann's many athletic accomplishments were accompanied by an array of academic awards, as well. She twice received CoSIDA Academic All-American honors and Patriot League Women's Soccer Scholar Athlete of the Year distinction (1997 and 1998). Additionally following her senior season in 1998, Mann earned recognition from the United Soccer Coaches organization as a Scholar All-American, by the NCAA as Woman of the Year in the state of Maryland and from the Patriot League as their Female Scholar Athlete of the Year. The Naval Academy also bestowed Mann, a Trident Scholar, with the Vice Admiral Lawrence Sword for Women for the Class of 1999. She was later enshrined in CoSIDA's Academic All-America Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2019.

Following her graduation with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the Naval Academy, Mann, a California native, earned a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University in 2001. Upon completing graduate school, Mann attended The Basic School (Marine Corps officer training in Quantico, Virginia) and after flight training, was awarded her Naval Aviator wings in 2003. She was the Honor Graduate in her US Naval Test Pilot School class. In her career to date, Mann has flown over 2,700 flight hours in 25 types of aircraft, has 200-plus carrier landings, and has flown 47 combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. For her action, she has received two Air Medals, two Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals and two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals. Mann was recipient of the NASA 2015 Stephen D. Thorne Safety Award. She currently holds the rank of colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps.

In 2013, Mann was selected as one of the eight members of NASA 's 21st Astronaut Class. At the time of her selection as an astronaut candidate, she was Joint Mission Planning System Expeditionary Integrated Product Team Lead. After finishing her initial training in 2015, she worked on the development of NASA's new Orion spacecraft, Space Launch System and the Exploration Ground Systems. Mann's preparation with NASA culminated on October 5, 2022 when she launched to the International Space Station (ISS) as commander of NASA's SpaceX Crew-5 mission aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, Endurance. The Crew-5 astronauts lived and worked aboard the ISS for nearly six months as part of Expedition 68 and contributed to hundreds of experiments and technology demonstrations. After splashing down safely off the coast of Tampa, Florida, on March 11, NASA's SpaceX Crew-5 completed the agency's fifth commercial crew rotation mission to the International Space Station. In total. the international crew of four spent 157 days in orbit. Mann executed two spacewalks, conducting upgrades to the space station's solar arrays, totaling 14 hours, 02 minutes. She supported two spacewalks as the robotic arm operator and captured the NG-18 cargo resupply spacecraft, S.S. Sally Ride.