Lauryn Harris '19 Nominated for 2023 NCAA Woman of the Year Award
Lauryn Harris '19 Nominated for 2023 NCAA Woman of the Year Award
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) has nominated Miami’s Lauryn Harris (Track and Field) for the 2023 NCAA Woman of the Year Award.
The NCAA Woman of the Year award, established in 1991, honors graduating female student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service, and leadership.
“The ACC is incredibly proud to annually recognize the amazing women that have been nominated by our institutions for the NCAA Woman of the Year award - and this year is no different,” said ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, Ph.D. “Lauryn was ultimately selected from a remarkable group of women that each represents all the best in college athletics, and we commend their respective efforts academically, athletically, and in their community.”
Lauryn graduated from Miami with Magna Cum Laude status with Departmental Honors in Political Science as well as the Inaugural 2023 Ibis Award, the highest student-athlete honor given for accomplishments not only in competition but in the community and classroom. She has recorded six straight semesters with a perfect GPA.
Following her athletic and academic performance over the 2022-23 season, she was named to the 2023 Outdoor All-ACC Academic Team, one of three student-athletes at Miami named to the 2022-23 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District® Men’s and Women’s Track and Field/Cross Country Teams. The Hurricanes took third place at the ACC Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
In the community, Lauryn is a member of Miami’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, the co-president of UM’s Black Student-Athlete Alliance, and the 2022 ACC Unite Award winner. As co-president, she helped to execute programming, including a mental health roundtable discussion and the Second Annual Black Networking Event, and promoted core values of community, development, and health. The hurdler and jumper for the Hurricanes also participated in the Miami Track and Field Police Athletic League (PAL) Clinic, which gives track and field student-athletes the opportunity to interact with local youth and give back to the community.
The former volunteer at the Voice In Sport Foundation worked from 2021-2022 on the national level to expose the gender inequalities within athletics and urge lawmakers to pass more equitable legislation alongside other women athletes to conduct in-depth Title IX research and conversations with Congressmen. Combining her passion for athletics and politics, she was able to help create change that will improve the lives of future women athletes.
In 2022, the Cheltenham, Maryland, native was a part of the Hurricanes’ ACC Outdoor Track & Field Championship team, where she earned All-ACC Second Team honors for her performances in the 100m hurdles and the long jump. Lauryn was also a member of the 2022 and 2023 Indoor and Outdoor All-ACC Academic Teams.
Bullis set U.S. records at the 2018 New Balance Nationals Indoor meet. (l to r) Leah Phillips '20, Cierra Pyles '18, Masai Russell '18, and Lauryn Harris '19. (Nolan Jez/MileStat.com)
During her track career at Bullis School, Lauryn was ranked U.S. No. 10 in indoor long jump, No. 19 in outdoor long jump, No. 19 in 100m hurdles, No. 22 in 60m hurdles, ranked No. 1 in the long jump in Maryland, and 13-time All-American. In 2019 alone, she captured three national championships and seven All-America honors in the 100m hurdles and relays.
Lauryn is currently a Science in Management (MSM) graduate student at Wake Forest University.
A record-breaking 619 female student-athletes were nominated by NCAA member schools in consideration for the 2023 Woman of the Year award. Lauryn emerged as the ACC’s 2023 NCAA Woman of the Year candidate following a vote of the league’s member schools among a strong list of nominees.
All conference-level nominees are forwarded to the NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee which 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. Learn more about the awards program and previous winners.