Gibbons Named a Top 30 Honoree for NCAA Woman of the Year

DURHAM, N.C. – It has been nearly a year since Christina Gibbons last donned a Duke women's soccer jersey, but the recent Blue Devil graduate keeps reeling in national attention as she was selected as one of the Top 30 honorees for the 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year Award Wednesday.

Established in 1991 and now in its 27th year, the NCAA Woman of the Year award honors graduating female college athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves in academics, athletics, service and leadership throughout their collegiate careers.

A native of Raleigh, N.C., Gibbons was just the third Blue Devil to earn National Soccer Coaches Association of America First Team All-America honors in 2016 and one of two Duke alumnae to be named a semifinalist for the Hermann Trophy. The 5-6 defender/midfielder earned First Team All-ACC honors in each of her final three years and concluded her career starting 87-of-88 contests, including the final 73 in a row.

Schools nominated a record 543 women for the award this year, which conference then narrowed down to 145 nominees that represented all three NCAA divisions, with 58 from Division I, 34 from Division II and 53 from Division III. From there the Woman of the Year selection committee knocked down the list to 30.

Gibbons was a two-time NSCAA All-America and concluded her collegiate career with NSCAA Scholar-Athlete of the Year and CoSIDA Academic All-America accolades. She finished her career with a Duke record seven penalty kick goals, while also logging 7,794 minutes, which was the second most by a field player in Blue Devil history. Gibbons registered a 3.909 grade-point average and went on to be selected No. 5 overall in the NWSL College draft to FC Kansas City.

The Top 30 honorees — including 10 from each of the three NCAA divisions — have demonstrated excellence in academics, athletics, community service and leadership. They represent 12 sports and a wide range of academic majors, including neuroscience, communication, biomedical engineering, sport management, political science and art.

A two-time captain at Duke, Gibbons received a degree in visual media studies.

In late September, the selection committee will announce three women from each division as the nine finalists. From the finalists, the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics will select the 2017 Woman of the Year, who will be named Oct. 22 at a ceremony in Indianapolis.

“The Top 30 honorees are remarkable representatives of the thousands of women competing in college sports each year,” said Sarah Hebberd, chair of the Woman of the Year selection committee and director of compliance at Georgia. “They have seized every opportunity available to them on the field of play, in the classroom and in the community, and we are proud to recognize them for their outstanding achievements.”

For more information on Duke women's soccer, follow the Blue Devils on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for “DukeWSoc”. You can also find all-access coverage of all Duke athletic programs on SnapChat by searching for “dukeathletics”.

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2017 NCAA Woman of the Year Top 30 Honorees

Sabrina Anderson, Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania

Serena Barr, Liberty University

Kaitlyn Brunworth, Wingate University

Clare Carlson, Grand Valley State University

Jennifer Carmichael, University of Oklahoma

Caroline Conboy, Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Eliana Crawford, Kenyon College

Lizzy Crist, Washington University in St. Louis

Alyssa Domico, Dominican University (Illinois)

Laura Rose Donegan, University of New Hampshire

Brooke Donnelly, Washington and Lee University

Christina Gibbons, Duke University

Maryann Gong, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Chardae Greenlee, University of Memphis

Morgan Hasty, Johnson C. Smith University

Olivia Hompe, Princeton University

Nicole Hoynaski, Hawaii Pacific University

Jessica January, DePaul University

Jamie Johnson, Lewis University

Allison Kosobud, College of Saint Benedict

Katie Krick, Nebraska Wesleyan University

Juliana Madzia, University of Cincinnati

Kaina Martinez, Texas A&M University-Kingsville

Christina Melian, Stony Brook University

Jelena Momirov, Barry University

Natalie O'Keefe, Southwest Baptist University

Jayme Perez, East Texas Baptist University

Maddie Pronovost, Middlebury College

Cashlee Rayas, Dallas Baptist University

Chantal Van Landeghem, University of Georgia

Gibbons Named a Top 30 Honoree for NCAA Woman of the Year

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