Wooster's Heising NCAA Woman of the Year Finalist

Edited: September 21, 2004

WOOSTER'S HEISING A FINALIST FOR NCAA WOMAN OF THE YEAR

Wooster's Kayla Heising (Wauseon, Ohio / Wauseon) is one of 10 finalists for the 2004 NCAA Woman of the Year Award, the NCAA announced last week.

The award, one of the most prestigious honors the NCAA bestows, recognizes young women in intercollegiate athletics for their outstanding achievements in athletics, academics and community service.

Heising earned 20 All-American citations during her swimming career – nine first-team performances as well as 11 additional top-16 efforts at the NCAA Div. III Championships. The sprint-freestyle specialist left the program with seven school records, including three as an individual – 50 (23.32) and 100 freestyles (51.24), and 100 butterfly (57.80). She placed among the top-five in the 50 three times at national meets, highlighted by second-place in 2003 (23.32), just 0.12 seconds shy of an NCAA championship.

Another highlight on Heising’s long list of accomplishments was becoming the only Fighting Scot to be voted North Coast Athletic Conference Female Swimmer of the Year (2003) after she won both the 50 (23.33) and 100 freestyles (51.24) at the conference meet, while setting still-standing NCAC-championship records in each event. This past year, Heising was named to the NCAC All-Decade Team (1994-03) for her efforts in the 50 freestyle.

Equally impressive in the classroom, she graduated magna cum laude (3.84 GPA), receiving a bachelor of arts degree while majoring in mathematics with a double-minor in psychology and education. She was a two-year member of the Phi Beta Kappa honorary society, and presented her junior independent study at the 2003 National Conference of Undergraduate Study.

"Kayla's excellence transcended many arenas, including but not limited to athletics, academics, community, and campus," concluded Wooster athletic director Keith Beckett, who coached Heising before becoming athletic director. "As her coach, it was a privilege to work with her as she had a unique competitive spirit and work ethic. I speak for the entire department in sharing our congratulations with Kayla on receipt of this prestigious award."

Heising’s the second former College of Wooster student-athlete to be a finalist for the honor and the fourth Scot to be a state winner in the last seven years. She is the fourth North Coast Athletic national finalist since the program began in 1991, the eighth Ohio Woman of the Year from the conference and the ninth overall.

Heising and the other nine 2004 finalists include six NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipients, and seven of the 10 are or were involved with the NCAA Student-Athlete Advisory Committees (SAAC) on their campuses and in their conferences. SAAC is a committee made up of student-athlete leaders assembled to provide insight on the student-athlete experience. The SAAC also offers input on the rules, regulations and policies that affect student-athletes’ lives on NCAA member institution campuses and it is the “student voice” in the NCAA’s governance structure.

Of the finalists, six are from Division I member institutions, two are from Division II and two are from Division III. They represent a variety of sports, including lacrosse, swimming, indoor and outdoor track, cross country and soccer, from schools in California, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Michigan, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon and Virginia.

The 10 finalists are:
Kelly Albin, California, University of California, Davis, lacrosse. Hometown: Fort Bragg, California.
Julie Hardt, Georgia, University of Georgia, swimming. Hometown: Reno, Nevada.
Abbey Elsberry, Idaho, Boise State University, indoor and outdoor track. Hometown: Billings, Montana.
Megan Grunert, Indiana, University of Indianapolis, swimming. Hometown: Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin.
Sherita Williams, Michigan, Michigan State University, indoor and outdoor track. Hometown: Tampa, Florida.
Kinsey Coles, North Dakota, North Dakota State University, cross country, indoor and outdoor track. Hometown: Hillsboro, North Dakota.
Kayla Heising, Ohio, College of Wooster, swimming. Hometown: Wauseon, Ohio.
Shana Robinson, Oklahoma, University of Tulsa, indoor and outdoor track. Hometown: Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Imani Dorsey, Oregon, University of Portland, soccer. Hometown: Santa Monica, California.
Melissa Block, Virginia, Mary Washington College, lacrosse. Hometown: Annapolis, Maryland.

The finalists were selected from 276 entries by a committee comprised of athletics administrators from NCAA member colleges and universities. The NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics will select the 2004 NCAA Woman of the Year from among the 10 finalists. The national winner will be announced at an awards dinner October 31, in Indianapolis.

This is the 14th year the Woman of the Year award has been given. Last year’s national winner was Kenyon's Ashley Rowatt, a swimming and diving standout. She was the first student-athlete in Division III to win the award.

Other past winners include: 2002 – Tanisha Silas, track and field, University of California, Davis; 2001 – Kimberly A. Black, Olympic gold medal swimmer, University of Georgia; 2000 – Kristy Kowal, Olympic silver medal swimmer, University of Georgia; 1999 – Jamila Demby, track and field, University of California, Davis; 1998 – Peggy Boutilier, lacrosse and field hockey, University of Virginia; 1997 – the late Lisa Ann Coole, swimming, University of Georgia; 1996 – Billie Winsett Fletcher, volleyball, University of Nebraska, Lincoln; 1995 – Rebecca Lobo, basketball, University of Connecticut; 1994 – Tanya Hughes Jones, track and field, University of Arizona; 1993 – Nnenna Jean Lynch, cross country and track and field, Villanova University; 1992 – Catherine Byrne Maloney, swimming, University of Tennessee, Knoxville; and 1991 – Mary Beth Riley-Metcalf, cross country, Canisius College.