Yellowjackets' VerWay selected as UMAC NCAA Woman of the Year nominee
ST. PAUL, Minn.---Each year the NCAA recognizes outstanding female student-athletes for exceptional achievement in the areas of academics, athletics, service and leadership with the Woman of the Year award. This year, the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) has selected Emily VerWay from the University of Wisconsin-Superior as the conference’s nominee for the 2019 award, the UMAC announced Tuesday.
VerWay emerged from a talented pool of four UMAC student-athletes – who were nominated by their respective institutions – and will move on to represent the conference in the next stage. The NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee will announce the top 10 from each of the three NCAA divisions and then three finalists in September before the Committee on Women’s Athletics will select the final winner announced Oct. 20 at the annual awards ceremony in Indianapolis.
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NCAA Conference Release |
UMAC Institutional Release |
NCAA Institutional Release |
VerWay, who hails from Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, was a standout four-year all-conference setter for the Yellowjacket volleyball team. She graduated with honors boasting a double major in business management and music.
VerWay is among elite company in the UMAC as a highly-decorated student-athlete both for her achievement on the court and in the classroom. On the volleyball court, VerWay led the Yellowjackets to three UMAC postseason appearances in the squad's first four years as a conference member including a second-place finish in 2018. VerWay was four times selected All-UMAC First Team and was the 2015 Rookie of the Year. Additionally, the Yellowjacket standout finished her career with 3.930 career assists and ranked eighth in NCAA Division III for season assists in 2018 with 1,254.
Academically, VerWay performed at a high level picking up Academic All-UMAC honors in each of her four seasons as a Yellowjacket. She was also named to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA)/Google Cloud Academic All-District team for volleyball this past season – one of just six individuals in District 6 to earn the honor. She was also a seven-time dean's list student and was a finalist for the UMAC Scholar-Athlete Leadership Award. VerWay was also three times recognized with the Wisconsin-Superior School of Business and Economics highest honor achievement.
"Emily has been a leader on and off the court," said Lynne Deadrick, Yellowjacket volleyball head coach. "She is driven to lead and strives to be th best she can be in everything she does."
Perhaps VerWay's top accolades are a reflection of that leadership and ethical commitment to Wisconsin-Superior and its community. This spring, VerWay was one of three students honored with the Chancellor's Leadership Award – the University's top honor recognizing leadership, dedication and service to the campus. VerWay's leadership on campus began with her time as a three-year captain of the volleyball team. She also volunteered with a number of athletics department service projects and worked in the athletics office. VerWay spent time as a student leader for Athletes in Action and served as a head coach of Club Superior volleyball's 17-select team.
VerWay's commitment to the University and the local community was best expressed through her passion for music. On campus she volunteered her time as the piano accompianist for the a capella choir for several hours a week for three years and also took two international trips as part of two music ensembles. Her musical pursuits led her to a guest solo with the Mesabi Sympshonly Orchestra in 2018. For four years VerWay dedicated several hours a week serving as a church pianist in Hermantown, Minnesota, as well as in her home town. Additionally, she taught weekly piano lessons for kids for the duration of her collegiate career.
During her time at Wisconsin-Superior, VerWay was also committed to the community through faith leading a weekly bible study for college women and involvement in church ministries. VerWay's other notable commitments during her time as a student-athlete include working in the small business development center on campus through an internship opportunity.
"(Emily's) passion for academic and athletics has been very evident during her four years (at Wisconsin-Superior)," said Deadrick. "She has a high moral and ethical standard and leads by example... It is great to see student-athletes excel at such a high level. I believe Emily will continue to have a postive influence on others around her."
VerWay was one of 148 conference honorees and 51 from Division III recognized by the NCAA Student-athletes represented 20 different sports across all three divisions. Four other UMAC student-athletes were also among a NCAA record 585 honorees nominated by their institutions and recognized by the NCAA in the 29th year of the program.
The four UMAC institutional honorees are listed below:
- Amy Berglund, University of Northwestern, Basketball
- MacKenna Hinz, Bethany Lutheran College, Volleyball
- Grace Schultz, Martin Luther College, Basketball, Volleyball
- Emily VerWay, University of Wisconsin-Superior, Volleyball
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UMAC 10-Year Celebration profile on Emily VerWay |