Lady Razorback Museum -- Academics
Among the great accomplishments of past Lady Razorbacks saluted in the Academics & Community section of the museum are Arkansas’ past winners of the NCAA Woman of the Year award. Started in 1991, the NCAA Woman of the Year program honors individuals who excel on the court, in the classroom and in the community. Each NCAA member institution nominates its Woman of the Year for statewide honors. A panel of national journalists and college administrators vote for 52 national finalists and the national Woman of the Year. The University of Arkansas is proud to have eight Lady Razorbacks from five different sports voted as the NCAA Woman of the Year for the state of Arkansas.
Arkansas’ NCAA Woman of the Year state winners 1991 — Cynthia Moore, track and field
A five-time all-American and school record holder in the triple jump, the El Dorado, Ark., native was an honors graduate in education.
1992 — Amber Nicholas, basketball
The MVP of the 1991 SWC Tournament, the Newark, Ark., product was a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American and received an NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship.
1993 — Blair Savage, basketball
An all-SWC player, the Gravette, Ark., forward received the Entergy Postgraduate Scholarship for her excellence in mathematics education.
1994 — Kim Mount, track and field
One of a handful of four-time NCAA cross country national participants in Arkansas history, the North Little Rock, Ark., distance runner also earned the Lon Farrell Award for the highest GPA earned by any graduating athlete.
1995 — Honey Marsh, soccer
The first SEC Player of the Year, the Hudson, Fla., soccer star was named all-region as well as all-SEC academic team.
1997 — Megan Flowers, track and field
An eight-time all-American, two-time SEC cross country runner of the year and 1994 SEC champion, the Fort Worth, Texas, runner was a two-time CoSIDA/GTE Academic All-American.
1998 — Christy Smith, basketball
A four-time AP honorable mention all-American, the West Lafayette, Ind., point guard led Arkansas to the 1998 Final Four and was a three-time all-SEC academic team selection.
1999 – Jessica Field, volleyball
An AVCA All-American as a junior, Jessica Field led Arkansas to the NCAA East Regionals as a senior. One of the top blockers in SEC history, Field became the first Arkansas athlete to receive the SEC Boyd McWhorter Scholar Athlete Award.
2000 – Jessica Dailey
In addition to being a three-time SEC champion and 12-time all-American, school-record holder Jessica Dailey was the first Woman of the Year national finalist, a 2000 SEC Boyd McWhorter finalist and three-time Verizon Academic All-American during her career at Arkansas.
2001 — Amy Yoder Begley
The SEC Athlete of the Year in 2001, Yoder Begley was a 15-time all-American and 16-time SEC champion which led Arkansas to six SEC titles. The first Lady’Back double NCAA champion in track, she was the Honda Award winner in cross country in 1999.
2003 — Kattie Shepherd
Named Verizon and CSCA Academic All-American, Shepherd captained Arkansas to its best finish in the pool in a decade at the NCAAs and led the Lady’Backs to the nation’s No. 1 GPA in 2003-04. Her 3.95 in microbiology led to medical school admission prior to graduation at Arkansas.
