The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Kuzmanic Top 30 Finalist for 2019 NCAA Woman of the Year Award
9/10/2019 9:09:00 AM | Women's Basketball
BIRMINGHAM- UAB women's basketball alum Deanna Kuzmanic has been named a Top 30 finalist for the 2019 NCAA Woman of the Year Award.
Kuzmanic is the first UAB athlete since Danielle Blair in 2011 to be a Top 30 finalist for the award which recognizes female student-athletes for excellence in academics, athletics, community service and leadership.
"The UAB Department of Athletics' three core values are to win championships, graduate with honors and make a difference. Deanna was able to achieve all three of those core values throughout her four years at UAB and we couldn't be prouder of her for how she represented our university," UAB Director of Athletics Mark Ingram said. "She is truly deserving of this recognition and we are all excited to see her achieve in the next stage of her life."
During her time at UAB, Kuzmanic earned Conference USA All-Conference Team honors twice and was part of the C-USA All-Freshman Team in 2015-16. The four-year starter played in every game of her career (128), the most in school history. Kuzmanic finished her career with 1,536 points, ranking 11th in program history. She ranks third in UAB history in 3-point field goal percentage (.377) and 3-point field goals made (252).
Recently, Kuzmanic represented Puerto Rico in the Pan American Games taking home the bronze medal with her team.
"Deanna represents everything UAB athletics stands for," said UAB women's basketball coach Randy Norton. "In her four years with UAB women's basketball she served as a role model for her teammates both on and off the court. We are proud of all of her accomplishments in the classroom, community and sport. It is a tremendous honor to have her representing our program as a Top 30 finalist for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award. We hope the example she left sets a standard for our athletes for years to come."
The Mount Prospect, Ill. native was a four-time C-USA Academic Medal recipient and three-time C-USA All-Academic team earner. She graduated from UAB in the spring of 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in mathematics and a minor in STEM education and held a 3.94 GPA. Earlier this year she was honored with the Conference USA Postgraduate Scholarship Award.
"Deanna's leadership on the basketball court, hard work in the classroom, active volunteering in our community and bright future as a math teacher for our youth leaves no doubt as to why she is a finalist for the NCAA's Woman of the Year," said UAB faculty athletics representative Dr. Frank Messina. "UAB is so proud of her."
In the community, Kuzmanic completed over 125 hours of community service serving as a reading mentor to elementary schoolers in the Birmingham area. She volunteered with Miracle League, United Ability, the YMCA and Susan G. Koman Race for the Cure. Kuzmanic was also a Top 30 finalist for the Senior CLASS award last season.
Nominees for NCAA Woman of the Year are selected from a pool of 585 women nominated by their universities. They represent college athletics from 20 sports over all three NCAA divisions.
In October, the pool will then be narrowed to nine finalists—three from each division. The 2019 Woman of the Year will be named, and the Top 30 honorees will be celebrated, at the annual banquet in Indianapolis on Oct. 20.
Kuzmanic is the first UAB athlete since Danielle Blair in 2011 to be a Top 30 finalist for the award which recognizes female student-athletes for excellence in academics, athletics, community service and leadership.
"The UAB Department of Athletics' three core values are to win championships, graduate with honors and make a difference. Deanna was able to achieve all three of those core values throughout her four years at UAB and we couldn't be prouder of her for how she represented our university," UAB Director of Athletics Mark Ingram said. "She is truly deserving of this recognition and we are all excited to see her achieve in the next stage of her life."
During her time at UAB, Kuzmanic earned Conference USA All-Conference Team honors twice and was part of the C-USA All-Freshman Team in 2015-16. The four-year starter played in every game of her career (128), the most in school history. Kuzmanic finished her career with 1,536 points, ranking 11th in program history. She ranks third in UAB history in 3-point field goal percentage (.377) and 3-point field goals made (252).
Recently, Kuzmanic represented Puerto Rico in the Pan American Games taking home the bronze medal with her team.
"Deanna represents everything UAB athletics stands for," said UAB women's basketball coach Randy Norton. "In her four years with UAB women's basketball she served as a role model for her teammates both on and off the court. We are proud of all of her accomplishments in the classroom, community and sport. It is a tremendous honor to have her representing our program as a Top 30 finalist for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award. We hope the example she left sets a standard for our athletes for years to come."
The Mount Prospect, Ill. native was a four-time C-USA Academic Medal recipient and three-time C-USA All-Academic team earner. She graduated from UAB in the spring of 2019 with a Bachelor of Science in mathematics and a minor in STEM education and held a 3.94 GPA. Earlier this year she was honored with the Conference USA Postgraduate Scholarship Award.
"Deanna's leadership on the basketball court, hard work in the classroom, active volunteering in our community and bright future as a math teacher for our youth leaves no doubt as to why she is a finalist for the NCAA's Woman of the Year," said UAB faculty athletics representative Dr. Frank Messina. "UAB is so proud of her."
In the community, Kuzmanic completed over 125 hours of community service serving as a reading mentor to elementary schoolers in the Birmingham area. She volunteered with Miracle League, United Ability, the YMCA and Susan G. Koman Race for the Cure. Kuzmanic was also a Top 30 finalist for the Senior CLASS award last season.
Nominees for NCAA Woman of the Year are selected from a pool of 585 women nominated by their universities. They represent college athletics from 20 sports over all three NCAA divisions.
In October, the pool will then be narrowed to nine finalists—three from each division. The 2019 Woman of the Year will be named, and the Top 30 honorees will be celebrated, at the annual banquet in Indianapolis on Oct. 20.
Players Mentioned
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