Best Female College Athlete ESPY Award

ESPY Award for Best College Athlete, Women's Sports
Awarded forbest female college athlete
Presented byESPN
First awarded2002
Currently held byCaitlin Clark (USA)
Websiteespn.com/espys/

The ESPY Award for Best College Athlete, Women's Sports, known before 2021 as the Best Female College Athlete ESPY Award, is an annual award honoring the achievements of a female individual from the world of collegiate sports.[1] It was first presented as part of the ESPY Awards in 2002, following the subsumption of the Best Female College Basketball Player ESPY Award, which was presented annually between the 1993 and 2001 ceremonies, inclusive.[2] The award trophy, designed by sculptor Lawrence Nowlan,[3] is awarded to the sportswoman adjudged to be the best in a given calendar year of those contesting collegiate sport in the United States through the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).[1] Since the 2004 awards, the winner has been chosen by online voting through three to five nominees selected by the ESPN Select Nominating Committee.[4][5] Before that, determination of the winners was made by an panel of experts.[6] Through the 2001 iteration of the ESPY Awards, ceremonies were conducted in February of each year to honor achievements over the previous calendar year; awards presented thereafter are conferred in July and reflect performance from the June previous.[a][2]

The inaugural winner of the Best Female College Athlete ESPY Award at the 2002 awards was University of Connecticut (UConn) Huskies basketball player Sue Bird.[7] During her collegiate career, Bird won two NCAA championships, and was awarded a further eight accolades for her achievements. She became the first of two basketball players to be nominated for, and hence to win, the Best Female College Athlete ESPY Award.[8] The 2003 winner of the award was another UConn player, Diana Taurasi.[9] Taurasi won the accolade again the following year,[9] and is one of three women, all UConn basketball players, to have received the Best Female College Athlete ESPY Award more than once: the most any one woman has won is Maya Moore, who earned three consecutive awards between the 2009 and 2011 ceremonies.[10][11][12] Basketball players dominate the winners list, with 14 awards, while softball competitors have won five times, and just one swimmer (the University of California, Berkeley Golden Bears' Missy Franklin at the 2015 ESPY Awards) has been recognized in the accolade's history. The most recent winner of the award is Iowa basketball player Caitlin Clark.[13]

The accolade was combined with the Best Male College Athlete ESPY Award to create the Best College Athlete ESPY Award which was presented for the first time at the 2018 ESPY Awards.[14] Beginning in 2021, the awards were again separated into men's and women's versions using the current naming scheme.[15]

Winners and nominees

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ESPY Award for Best College Athlete, Women's Sports winners and nominees
Year Image Winner University Sport Other nominees Ref(s)
2002 Sue Bird playing in a basketball game in 2012 Sue Bird Connecticut Huskies[b] Basketball Natalie Coughlin – California Golden Bears (Swimming)
Jennie Finch – Arizona Wildcats (Softball)
Stacey Nuveman – UCLA Bruins (Softball)
Jackie Stiles – Missouri State Lady Bears (Basketball) 		[7][16]
2003 Diana Taurasi competing in a basketball match in 2014 Diana Taurasi Connecticut Huskies[b] Basketball Alana Beard – Duke Blue Devils (Basketball)
Natalie Coughlin – California Golden Bears (Swimming)
Cat Osterman – Texas Longhorns (Softball) 		[9][17]
2004 Diana Taurasi at the White House in 2008 Diana Taurasi (2) Connecticut Huskies[b] Basketball Alana Beard – Duke Blue Devils (Basketball)
Tara Kirk – Stanford Cardinal (Swimming)
Cat Reddick – North Carolina Tar Heels (Soccer)
Jessica van der Linden – Florida State Seminoles (Softball) 		[9][18]
2005 Cat Osterman competing in a softball tournament in 2006 Cat Osterman Texas Longhorns Softball Seimone Augustus – LSU Lady Tigers (Basketball)
Nicole Corriero – Harvard Crimson (Ice hockey)
Kristen Maloney – UCLA Bruins (Gymnastics)
Katie Thorlakson – Notre Dame (Soccer) 		[19][20]
2006 Cat Osterman competing in a softball tournament in 2006 Cat Osterman (2) Texas Longhorns Softball Seimone Augustus – LSU Lady Tigers (Basketball)
Virginia Powell – USC Trojans (Track and field)
Christine Sinclair – Portland Pilots (Soccer)
Courtney Thompson – Washington Huskies (Volleyball) 		[21][22]
2007 Taryne Mowatt attending a Red Carpet event in 2008 Taryne Mowatt Arizona Wildcats Softball Monica Abbott – Tennessee Lady Volunteers (Softball)
Kerri Hanks – Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Soccer)
Kara Lynn Joyce – Georgia Bulldogs (Swimming) 		[23][24]
2008 Candace Parker playing for the Los Angeles Sparks in 2017 Candace Parker Tennessee Lady Volunteers Basketball Rachel Dawson – North Carolina Tar Heels (Field hockey)
Angela Tincher – Virginia Tech Hokies (Softball) 		[25][26]
2009 Maya Moore attending a celebratory dinner in 2009 Maya Moore Connecticut Huskies[b] Basketball Kerri Hanks – Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Soccer)
Courtney Kupets – Georgia Gymdogs (Gymnastics)
Danielle Lawrie – Washington Huskies (Softball)
Dana Vollmer – California Golden Bears (Swimming) 		[10][27]
2010 Maya Moore playing for the United States National Women's Basketball team in 2010 Maya Moore (2) Connecticut Huskies[b] Basketball Tina Charles – Connecticut Huskies[b] (Basketball)
Megan Hodge – Penn State Nittany Lions (Volleyball)
Megan Langenfeld – UCLA Bruins (Softball) 		[11][28]
2011 Maya Moore holding a gold-plated trophy in 2011 Maya Moore (3) Connecticut Huskies[b] Basketball Blair Brown – Penn State Nittany Lions (Volleyball)
Dallas Escobedo – Arizona State Sun Devils (Softball)
Melissa Henderson – Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Soccer)
Katinka Hosszú – USC Trojans (Swimming) 		[12][29]
2012 Brittney Griner holding a trophy amongst a group of people in 2012 Brittney Griner Baylor Lady Bears Basketball Alexandra Jupiter – USC Trojans (Volleyball)
Caitlin Leverenz – California Golden Bears (Swimming)
Teresa Noyola – Stanford Cardinal (Soccer)
Jackie Traina – Alabama Crimson Tide (Softball) 		[30][31]
2013 Brittney Griner competing in a 2017 basketball game Brittney Griner (2) Baylor Lady Bears Basketball Kara Cannizzaro – North Carolina Tar Heels (Lacrosse)
Crystal Dunn – North Carolina Tar Heels (Soccer)
Keilani Ricketts – Oklahoma Sooners (Softball) 		[32][33]
2014 Breanna Stewart holding a plague in her left hand in 2012 Breanna Stewart UConn Huskies Basketball Morgan Brian – Virginia Cavaliers (Soccer)
Taylor Cummings – Maryland Terrapins (Lacrosse)
Micha Hancock – Penn State Nittany Lions (Volleyball)
Hannah Rogers – Florida Gators (Softball) 		[34][35]
2015 Missy Franklin competing in an outdoor swimming tournament in 2014 Missy Franklin California Golden Bears Swimming Taylor Cummings – Maryland Terrapins (Lacrosse)
Lauren Haeger – Florida Gators (Softball)
Micha Hancock – Penn State Nittany Lions (Volleyball)
Breanna Stewart – Connecticut Huskies (Basketball) 		[36][37]
2016 Breanna Stewart holding a gold-plated trophy in both hands in 2016 Breanna Stewart (2) UConn Huskies Basketball Samantha Bricio – USC Trojans (Volleyball)
Taylor Cummings – Maryland Terrapins (Lacrosse)
Raquel Rodríguez – Penn State Nittany Lions (Soccer)
Sierra Romero – Michigan Wolverines (Softball) 		[38][39]
2017 – Kelly Barnhill Florida Gators Softball Inky Ajanaku – Stanford Cardinal (Volleyball)
Kadeisha Buchanan – West Virginia Mountaineers (Soccer)
Kelsey Plum – Washington Huskies (Basketball)
Zoe Stukenberg – Maryland Terrapins (Lacrosse) 		[40][41]
2018–2020 - Not Awarded Not Awarded Not Awarded Not Awarded
2021 Alt=Paige Bueckers handling a basketball while in motion Paige Bueckers UConn Huskies Basketball Odicci Alexander – James Madison Dukes (Softball)
Jaelin Howell – Florida State Seminoles (Soccer)
Madison Lilley – Kentucky Wildcats (Volleyball) 		[5][15]
2022 – Jocelyn Alo Oklahoma Sooners Softball Aliyah Boston – South Carolina (Basketball)
Jaelin Howell – Florida State (Soccer)
Charlotte North – Boston College (Lacrosse) 		[13][42]
2023 Alt= Caitlin Clark Iowa Hawkeyes Basketball Jordy Bahl – Oklahoma Sooners (Softball)
Izzy Scane – Northwestern (Lacrosse)
Trinity Thomas – Florida Gators (Gymnastics) 		[43]
2024 Alt= Caitlin Clark (2) Iowa Hawkeyes Basketball Sarah Franklin – Wisconsin Badgers (Volleyball)
Izzy Scane – Northwestern (Lacrosse)
Haleigh Bryant – LSU Tigers (Gymnastics) 		[44]

Statistics

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See also

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Notes and references

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Notes

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  1. ^ Because of the rescheduling of the ESPY Awards ceremony, the award presented in 2002 was given in consideration of performance between February 2001 and June 2002.[2]
  2. ^ a b c d e f g The University of Connecticut did not adopt "UConn" as its sole athletic brand name until the 2013–14 school year.

References

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  1. ^ a b Nelson, Murry R. (2013). American Sports: A History of Icons, Idols and Ideas. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. pp. 399–401. ISBN 978-0-313-39753-0. Archived from the original on January 23, 2018. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c "New categories unveiled for The 2002 ESPY Awards" (Press release). ESPN. 2002. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
  3. ^ Avard, Christian (August 2, 2013). "Sculptor commissioned to complete Joe Frazier statue has died". Barre Montpelier Times Argus. Archived from the original on February 21, 2014. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  4. ^ "The 2004 ESPY Awards - Fans to decide all 2004 ESPY Award winners". ESPN. Archived from the original on January 23, 2018. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  5. ^ a b "The 2021 ESPYS Nominees" (Press release). ESPN. June 12, 2021. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
  6. ^ "Committee is newly found". ESPN. February 3, 1999. Archived from the original on January 23, 2018. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  7. ^ a b "Woods Wins Three ESPYs". Los Angeles Times. July 11, 2002. Archived from the original on April 5, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  8. ^ "Sue Bird". USA Basketball. October 7, 2013. Archived from the original on April 4, 2016. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  9. ^ a b c d L. Porter, David, ed. (2005). Basketball: A Biographical Dictionary. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 468. ISBN 978-0-313-30952-6. Archived from the original on April 3, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  10. ^ a b "Phelps a big winner at ESPY Awards". KABC-TV. July 15, 2009. Archived from the original on October 31, 2017. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  11. ^ a b Arden, Rich (July 15, 2010). "Moore, Taurasi Win ESPYs". University of Connecticut. Archived from the original on April 5, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  12. ^ a b "Celebrities, athletes mingle at ESPY Awards". The Times-Picayune. Associated Press. July 14, 2011. Archived from the original on April 3, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  13. ^ a b "Alo Wins ESPY for Best Female College Athlete". soonersports.com. July 19, 2022. Retrieved July 19, 2022.
  14. ^ Keith, Branden (July 16, 2018). "Katie Ledecky Nominated For Best College Athlete ESPY". SwimSwam. Archived from the original on July 17, 2018. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  15. ^ a b "2021 ESPYS award winners". ESPN.com. July 10, 2021. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
  16. ^ Hoornstra, J. P. (July 7, 2002). "Nuveman in race for ESPY award". Daily Bruin. Archived from the original on May 26, 2016. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  17. ^ "Alana Beard to attend ESPY Awards tonight". Shreveport Times. July 16, 2003. p. 2C. Archived from the original on April 3, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  18. ^ "van der Linden Nominated For 2004 ESPY Award". College Sports Television. June 22, 2004. Archived from the original on April 3, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  19. ^ Buckley, Tom (May 2006). "Catcher in the Eye". The Alcalde. Vol. 94, no. 3. p. 64. Archived from the original on April 3, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2018 – via Google Books.
  20. ^ "UCLA's Kristen Maloney Nominated For ESPY Award". College Sports Television. June 24, 2005. Archived from the original on April 3, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  21. ^ "14th annual ESPY Award's list". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. July 13, 2006. Archived from the original on February 4, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  22. ^ "On Campus". Portland Tribune. July 3, 2006. Archived from the original on April 3, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  23. ^ Harris, Beth (July 12, 2007). "Chargers' Tomlinson Wins 4 ESPY Awards". The Washington Post. Associated Press. Archived from the original on October 31, 2017. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  24. ^ Towers, Chip (June 27, 2007). "Georgia swimmer Joyce nominated for ESPY". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on June 29, 2007. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  25. ^ "Candace Parker Wins Two ESPY Awards". Women's National Basketball Association. July 12, 2008. Archived from the original on April 3, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  26. ^ "Appalachian State is an ESPY finalist". News & Record. July 2, 2008. Archived from the original on April 5, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  27. ^ Johns, Greg (June 25, 2009). "Huskies' Lawrie nominated for ESPY award". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Archived from the original on April 3, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  28. ^ "Lakers nominated for 'Best Team' Espy Award". San Gabriel Valley Tribune. June 24, 2010. Archived from the original on January 6, 2018. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
  29. ^ Langford, Richard (June 26, 2011). "2011 ESPN ESPY Awards: Nominees and TV Schedule". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on January 5, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  30. ^ Brown, Eric (July 11, 2012). "Brittney Griner Wins Two ESPYs: Female Athlete of the Year and Best Female College Athlete". International Business Times. Archived from the original on April 3, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  31. ^ Kausler Jr., Don (July 11, 2012). "Alabama goes 0 for 3 at the ESPYS". The Birmingham News. Archived from the original on April 3, 2018. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  32. ^ Levy, Gabrielle (July 18, 2013). "Brittney Griner goes from bullied teen to role model". United Press International. Archived from the original on April 3, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  33. ^ "Mercury's Brittney Griner receives two ESPY Nominations". KTVK. June 28, 2013. Archived from the original on April 3, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  34. ^ Tamurian, Niko (July 17, 2014). "C-NS grad Breanna Stewart wins ESPY Award for Best Female College Athlete". WSTM-TV. Archived from the original on April 3, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  35. ^ Dunn, Katherine (June 25, 2014). "Hopkins alums Rabil, Schwartzman receive MLL weekly awards". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on April 3, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  36. ^ "Missy Franklin Wins ESPY Best College Female Athlete". Swimming World. July 15, 2015. Archived from the original on April 3, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  37. ^ Ditota, Donna (June 24, 2015). "Breanna Stewart is nominated for 2 ESPY awards; voting underway to determine winners". The Post-Standard. Archived from the original on June 30, 2017. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  38. ^ McDonough, Cameron (July 13, 2016). "ESPYs 2016 Winners: LeBron James, Craig Sager Among Awards Show Highlights". New England Sports Network. Archived from the original on April 4, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  39. ^ Doyle, Paul (June 23, 2016). "Geno Auriemma, Breanna Stewart, UConn Women's Basketball All Over ESPY Nominations". Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on April 3, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  40. ^ "Pope alum Kelly Barnhill wins ESPY Award as top female collegiate athlete". Marietta Daily Journal. July 12, 2017. Archived from the original on April 5, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  41. ^ "Canada's Kadeisha Buchanan gets ESPY nomination for best female college athlete". CBC News. The Canadian Press. June 22, 2017. Archived from the original on January 11, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  42. ^ "The 2022 ESPYS Nominees". espnpressroom.com. June 28, 2022. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
  43. ^ "2023 ESPYS: Full list of award winners". ESPN.com. July 13, 2023. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
  44. ^ "2024 ESPYS: Here is the list of winners". ESPN.com. July 11, 2024. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
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