LOUDONVILLE, NY – Following one of the most decorated careers in her program's history, recent Siena graduate Diana Fernandez has been named Siena's Nominee for the 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year Award. The Water Polo standout will go up against 605 female student-athletes from around the nation, including 259 at the NCAA Division I level. Rooted in Title IX, the NCAA Woman of the Year Award 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.
"I am proud to have been nominated for this prestigious award and to have broken a barrier within my own program and collegiate water polo," Fernandez said. "I hope I have set an example for other young aspiring women to be able to excel in not only athletics, but in any opportunity to positively impact their community."
"This is a special moment to acknowledge these amazing female student-athletes of the MAAC," said MAAC Deputy Commissioner Jessica Grasso. "The MAAC is proud of their accomplishments and acknowledges their hard work, leadership, devotion, and desire to succeed personally, academically, and with their teammates."
A member and two-time captain of the Saints over the past four years, Fernandez earned All-America Honorable Mention honors from the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) in each of her final two seasons, becoming the first player in program history to do so. A three-time Second Team All-MAAC selection, the Chicago, Illinois native established a new program record in ejections drawn and finished her career second all-time in goals scored (238), fourth in points (349) and inside the program's all-time top-10 in seven different offensive categories.
Outside of the pool, Fernandez shined in the classroom and put forth time into the community throughout her collegiate career. A three-time MAAC All-Academic Team and four-time MAAC Academic Honor Roll member, she graduated with a degree in health studies, making the Dean's List four times and the President's list once. A 2019 ACWPC All-Academic selection with a "Superior" distinction, she also served as the athletic department's representative on Siena's President's Advisory Council on Diversity and Inclusion. Fernandez helped organize the team's trips to serve meals at the Ronald McDonald House of Albany, participated in the Walk to End Alzheimer's and also volunteered at a local elementary school and daycare center in her hometown during the summer.
Fernandez will now be included into a pool of athletes from the MAAC, which will select up to two nominees to represent the conference's 11 members. From there, the NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee, made up of representatives from the NCAA membership, will choose 30 nominees, including 10 from each of its three divisions.
The selection committee will determine the top three honorees from each division out of the top 30 and will announce the nine finalists in September. From those nine finalists, the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics will then select the 2020 NCAA woman of the Year.
