Photo by: Jacob Gonzalez
Hackett Nominated for NCAA Woman of the Year
7/12/2018 11:46:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Lauren Hackett left an indelible mark on California Baptist University in her four-year career. The outside hitter graduated as one of the most prolific offensive threats in the storied history of Lancer volleyball, and was nominated for the prestigious NCAA Woman of the Year Award for as much as her play on the court as her character off it.
The Woman of the Year award honors graduating female college athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in academics, athletics, service and leadership.
This year, NCAA received a program-record 581 student-athletes. Of the nominees, 251 competed in Division I, 131 competed in Division II and 199 competed in Division III athletics. Next, conference offices will select up to two nominees to move forward in the process in early August. Each conference nominee will be notified by the NCAA, and all conference-round nominees will be announced on ncaa.org in early August.
In early September, the Woman of the Year selection committee will name the Top 30 honorees, which include 10 women from each division. The selection committee will select and announce nine finalists, with three from each division. The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics will select the 2018 NCAA Woman of the Year from those finalists.
The Top 30 honorees will be celebrated and the 2018 NCAA Woman of the Year will be named at the annual banquet Oct. 28 in Indianapolis.
It is an honor just to be nominated for the NCAA Woman of the Year, and Hackett certainly fits the bill given her accomplishments in athletics, academics and service. She signed a contract in June to play professional volleyball for proWIN Volleys TV Holz of Saarbrücken, Germany.
Down the road, she hopes to do some anti-human trafficking and poverty-relief work with underprivileged women. She is hoping sports can help positively impact her ministry.
"Now if I take it one step further, I am realizing the impact it can have later on," Hackett said of her move to play pro. "I want to see how sports can empower. I have a vision of going to the Philippines and using volleyball as a way of ministry, empowerment and keeping kids off the streets."
Hackett is the fourth Lancer to be nominated for the award in as many years, with swim's Mary Hanson being nominated for the distinction in 2015, women's water polo's Hannah Evans in 2016 and basketball's Cassidy Mihalko in 2017. Hanson went on to be named one in the Top 30 in 2015.
A dominant 2017 senior season ended an impressive career for Hackett. She was named the 2017 Player of the Year in the PacWest and NCAA Division II West Region by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. She was a two-time All-American, first-team pick in the West Region and also voted an Academic All-American for the second year in a row by the College Sports Information Directors of America, on top of being named the PacWest Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year this season.
Overall, the Covington, Wash. native reaped five All-American and All-West Region awards in her career and was a first team All-PacWest pick all four years. She was also voted the Freshman of the Year in the PacWest, West Region and Division II in 2014.
In CBU's rally-era career record books, she ranks third in attacks (4,377), fifth in kills (1,687) and kills per set (4.04), seventh in blocks (279), ninth in sets played (418) and 11th in aces (112). Her attacks, kills, kills per set, aces and sets played rank first in the program's NCAA era (2013-17), while her blocks are the third most in that span.
As far as single-season records, Hackett holds NCAA-era bests in kills (492), attacks (1,188) and kills per set (4.47), which rank in the top 10 of the rally era, as well. She logged 20 or more kills in a match seven times and 25 or more kills four times, with an NCAA-era single-match record of 27 against Dominican on Sept. 24, 2016.
The Woman of the Year award honors graduating female college athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in academics, athletics, service and leadership.
This year, NCAA received a program-record 581 student-athletes. Of the nominees, 251 competed in Division I, 131 competed in Division II and 199 competed in Division III athletics. Next, conference offices will select up to two nominees to move forward in the process in early August. Each conference nominee will be notified by the NCAA, and all conference-round nominees will be announced on ncaa.org in early August.
In early September, the Woman of the Year selection committee will name the Top 30 honorees, which include 10 women from each division. The selection committee will select and announce nine finalists, with three from each division. The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics will select the 2018 NCAA Woman of the Year from those finalists.
The Top 30 honorees will be celebrated and the 2018 NCAA Woman of the Year will be named at the annual banquet Oct. 28 in Indianapolis.
It is an honor just to be nominated for the NCAA Woman of the Year, and Hackett certainly fits the bill given her accomplishments in athletics, academics and service. She signed a contract in June to play professional volleyball for proWIN Volleys TV Holz of Saarbrücken, Germany.
Down the road, she hopes to do some anti-human trafficking and poverty-relief work with underprivileged women. She is hoping sports can help positively impact her ministry.
"Now if I take it one step further, I am realizing the impact it can have later on," Hackett said of her move to play pro. "I want to see how sports can empower. I have a vision of going to the Philippines and using volleyball as a way of ministry, empowerment and keeping kids off the streets."
Hackett is the fourth Lancer to be nominated for the award in as many years, with swim's Mary Hanson being nominated for the distinction in 2015, women's water polo's Hannah Evans in 2016 and basketball's Cassidy Mihalko in 2017. Hanson went on to be named one in the Top 30 in 2015.
A dominant 2017 senior season ended an impressive career for Hackett. She was named the 2017 Player of the Year in the PacWest and NCAA Division II West Region by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. She was a two-time All-American, first-team pick in the West Region and also voted an Academic All-American for the second year in a row by the College Sports Information Directors of America, on top of being named the PacWest Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year this season.
Overall, the Covington, Wash. native reaped five All-American and All-West Region awards in her career and was a first team All-PacWest pick all four years. She was also voted the Freshman of the Year in the PacWest, West Region and Division II in 2014.
In CBU's rally-era career record books, she ranks third in attacks (4,377), fifth in kills (1,687) and kills per set (4.04), seventh in blocks (279), ninth in sets played (418) and 11th in aces (112). Her attacks, kills, kills per set, aces and sets played rank first in the program's NCAA era (2013-17), while her blocks are the third most in that span.
As far as single-season records, Hackett holds NCAA-era bests in kills (492), attacks (1,188) and kills per set (4.47), which rank in the top 10 of the rally era, as well. She logged 20 or more kills in a match seven times and 25 or more kills four times, with an NCAA-era single-match record of 27 against Dominican on Sept. 24, 2016.
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