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Virginia Elena Carta is a top 30 honoree for NCAA Woman of the Year
Photo by: Tim Cowie
Duke’s Carta a Top 30 NCAA Woman of the Year Honoree
9/10/2019 2:00:00 PM | Women's Golf
Duke’s Carta a Top 30 NCAA Woman of the Year Honoree
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Duke University recent graduate Virginia Elena Carta has been chosen as one of 30 honorees for the 2019 NCAA Woman of the Year, as announced Tuesday by the Woman of the Year selection committee.
The Top 30 honorees were selected from an initial pool of 585 school nominees, a program record. From there, the pool was narrowed by conference offices and a selection committee to move forward 151 nominees for consideration. The Top 30 honorees include 10 from each of the three NCAA divisions, and each has demonstrated excellence in academics, athletics, community service and leadership. The honorees competed in 13 sports — including, for the first time, equestrian and rifle — and studied a broad range of academic majors, including neuroscience, anthropology, economics, chemical engineering, political science and communication.
Earning the 2016 NCAA Women's Golf Individual title in her freshman campaign, the four-time All-ACC selection capped her Blue Devil legacy with the 2019 NCAA Team championship in May, helping lead the Blue Devils to their seventh NCAA title in school history. She is one of only four Duke golfers to win both an NCAA team and individual title. She finished her Duke career with 43 rounds of even or under par, including 15 rounds in the 60s.
"This year's 30 honorees are remarkable women, representing well the thousands of women competing each year in college sports," said Karen Baebler, chair of the Woman of the Year selection committee and assistant athletics director for sport operations at the University of Washington. "They have excelled in sports and academics while serving their peers and communities, and we congratulate them for their many achievements."
Carta's success outside of the course are perhaps even more impressive. She spearheaded the creation of the Birdies for Babies program at Duke in her junior season to help raise money for the Duke Children's Neonatal and Pediatric Intensive Care Units. After the initial two years of the program, it has raised $36,822.75 to help the children.
In early October, the selection committee will announce the nine finalists, made up of three women from each NCAA division. From those finalists, the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics will select the 2019 NCAA Woman of the Year. The Top 30 will be celebrated and the Woman of the Year will be named Oct. 20 at a ceremony in Indianapolis.
A native of Udine, Italy, Carta was recently selected a Google Cloud CoSIDA Academic All-America and Honorable Mention All-America by both Golfweek and the Women's Golf Coaches Association (WGCA). A four-time women's golf All-ACC Academic Team member and 2019 ACC Women's Golf Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Carta also earned four WGCA All-America Scholar accolades over her Duke career.
The scholarships are granted to student-athletes that excel both academically and athletically while also serving as leaders in the community.
#GoDuke
The Top 30 honorees were selected from an initial pool of 585 school nominees, a program record. From there, the pool was narrowed by conference offices and a selection committee to move forward 151 nominees for consideration. The Top 30 honorees include 10 from each of the three NCAA divisions, and each has demonstrated excellence in academics, athletics, community service and leadership. The honorees competed in 13 sports — including, for the first time, equestrian and rifle — and studied a broad range of academic majors, including neuroscience, anthropology, economics, chemical engineering, political science and communication.
Earning the 2016 NCAA Women's Golf Individual title in her freshman campaign, the four-time All-ACC selection capped her Blue Devil legacy with the 2019 NCAA Team championship in May, helping lead the Blue Devils to their seventh NCAA title in school history. She is one of only four Duke golfers to win both an NCAA team and individual title. She finished her Duke career with 43 rounds of even or under par, including 15 rounds in the 60s.
"This year's 30 honorees are remarkable women, representing well the thousands of women competing each year in college sports," said Karen Baebler, chair of the Woman of the Year selection committee and assistant athletics director for sport operations at the University of Washington. "They have excelled in sports and academics while serving their peers and communities, and we congratulate them for their many achievements."
Carta's success outside of the course are perhaps even more impressive. She spearheaded the creation of the Birdies for Babies program at Duke in her junior season to help raise money for the Duke Children's Neonatal and Pediatric Intensive Care Units. After the initial two years of the program, it has raised $36,822.75 to help the children.
In early October, the selection committee will announce the nine finalists, made up of three women from each NCAA division. From those finalists, the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics will select the 2019 NCAA Woman of the Year. The Top 30 will be celebrated and the Woman of the Year will be named Oct. 20 at a ceremony in Indianapolis.
A native of Udine, Italy, Carta was recently selected a Google Cloud CoSIDA Academic All-America and Honorable Mention All-America by both Golfweek and the Women's Golf Coaches Association (WGCA). A four-time women's golf All-ACC Academic Team member and 2019 ACC Women's Golf Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Carta also earned four WGCA All-America Scholar accolades over her Duke career.
The scholarships are granted to student-athletes that excel both academically and athletically while also serving as leaders in the community.
#GoDuke
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