WASHINGTON – The Georgetown University women's soccer team had graduate defender Julia Leas named as a nominee for NCAA Woman of the Year by the BIG EAST Conference. Leas joins UConn's Claire Jandewerth, a field hockey student-athlete, as the conference's two nominees for the prestigious award.
 
Earning a bachelor's degree in psychology and a minor in public health, Leas capped her undergraduate career with a 3.94 cumulative GPA. Set to return to the pitch in the fall of 2023 to anchor the Georgetown back line, Leas graduated in the winter of 2022 with magna cum laude honors, earning 2022 United Soccer Coaches First Team Scholar All-American accolades. On the field, Leas capped her 2022 campaign recognized as a semifinalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy, and a United Soccer Coaches First Team All-American. Leading the Hoyas to both a BIG EAST regular season and conference title, Leas was unanimously picked as the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year.
 
The NCAA Woman of the Year program was established in 1991 and honors the academic achievements, athletics excellence, community service and leadership of graduating female college athletes from all three divisions.
 
All conference-level nominees are forwarded to the Woman of the Year selection committee. The selection committee will choose the top 10 honorees in each division. From among those 30 honorees, the selection committee will determine the three finalists in each division. Finally, the members of the Committee on Women's Athletics will vote from among the top nine finalists to determine the 2023 NCAA Woman of the Year.
 
Later this fall, the national Top 30 honorees and nine finalists will be announced. The 2023 NCAA Woman of the Year will be announced at the 2024 NCAA Convention in Phoenix.
 
Eligibility for the 2023 NCAA Woman of the Year award:
 

• The nominee must have competed and earned a varsity letter in an NCAA-sponsored sport.
• The nominee must have earned her undergraduate degree no later than the summer 2023 term.
• The nominee must have a minimum cumulative undergraduate grade-point average of 2.50 on a 4.00 scale.

 
The NCAA Woman of the Year program is rooted in Title IX and has recognized graduating female college athletes for excellence in academics, athletics, community service and leadership since its inception in 1991. For more information about the program and previous winners, please visit ncaa.org/woty.