University of Massachusets Athletics
Harris Chosen As Atlantic 10 Nominee For 2020 NCAA Woman Of The Year
July 28, 2020 | Women's Track & Field
The Bridgeport, Connecticut native is the second conference nominee for the award in UMass history.
AMHERST, Mass. – University of Massachusetts women's track and field's Jada Harris has been selected to represent the Atlantic 10 Conference as one of the conference nominees for the 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year Award, the A-10 office announced on Tuesday. Harris and Duquesne's Madelyn Hoying were the league's two finalists, chosen from a pool of 14 outstanding institutional honorees via a vote by the league's Senior Woman Administrators. The Bridgeport, Connecticut, native is the second Minutewoman in history to earn the distinction as a conference nominee, joining 2018 NCAA Woman of the Year Top 30 finalist, track & field/cross country alumna Heather MacLean.
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One of the most prestigious NCAA awards, the NCAA established the Woman of the Year Award in 1991 to celebrate the achievements of women in intercollegiate athletics. The NCAA Woman of the Year award honors graduating female college athletes who have distinguished themselves in academics, athletics, service and leadership throughout their collegiate careers.
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Each conference across the nation selects up to two nominees each from their pool of member school nominees. Then, the Woman of the Year selection committee, made up of representatives from the NCAA membership, will choose the Top 30 honorees — 10 from each division.
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From the Top 30, the Woman of the Year selection committee will determine the top three honorees in each division and announce nine finalists. The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics then will choose the 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year, who will be named this fall.
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Harris, a 2019 USTFCCCA Honorable Mention All-American in outdoor high jump and 2019 and 2020 USTFCCCA Division-I All-Academic Team selection has been named an Atlantic 10 Academic All-Conference honoree three times, including indoors in 2020. During her time at UMass, Harris has been a social justice peer educator on campus, founded Minority Student Athletes United (MSAU), and helped the UMass athletic department obtain a Women for UMass Amherst Fund award. During the summer of 2019, she interned in the office of Congresswoman Katherine M. Clark.
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She holds four school records—60 meter hurdles, indoor long jump, outdoor high jump and 100 meter hurdles, and ranks in the program's top-five all time in three more events. The Bridgeport, Connecticut native is a nine-time Atlantic 10 individual champion, has 12 A-10 medals, is a four-time New England champion and collected a silver medal in high jump at the ECAC Championships.
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Harris was named the women's Most Outstanding Field Performer at the 2020 Indoor Atlantic 10 Championships after totaling 28 individual points to help the Minutewomen to the team title. She won two of UMass' five gold medals at the meet with A-10 titles in high jump (5'8") and 60 meter hurdles, matching the meet record with a winning time of 8.45 seconds. Additionally, Harris took silver medal in long jump, breaking a 34-year old school record in long jump, leaping 19 feet 3.5 inches. A dual-major in social thought and political economy as well as communication, Harris was named the UMass Female Spring Scholar-Athlete this past May.
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One of the most prestigious NCAA awards, the NCAA established the Woman of the Year Award in 1991 to celebrate the achievements of women in intercollegiate athletics. The NCAA Woman of the Year award honors graduating female college athletes who have distinguished themselves in academics, athletics, service and leadership throughout their collegiate careers.
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Each conference across the nation selects up to two nominees each from their pool of member school nominees. Then, the Woman of the Year selection committee, made up of representatives from the NCAA membership, will choose the Top 30 honorees — 10 from each division.
Â
From the Top 30, the Woman of the Year selection committee will determine the top three honorees in each division and announce nine finalists. The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics then will choose the 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year, who will be named this fall.
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Harris, a 2019 USTFCCCA Honorable Mention All-American in outdoor high jump and 2019 and 2020 USTFCCCA Division-I All-Academic Team selection has been named an Atlantic 10 Academic All-Conference honoree three times, including indoors in 2020. During her time at UMass, Harris has been a social justice peer educator on campus, founded Minority Student Athletes United (MSAU), and helped the UMass athletic department obtain a Women for UMass Amherst Fund award. During the summer of 2019, she interned in the office of Congresswoman Katherine M. Clark.
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She holds four school records—60 meter hurdles, indoor long jump, outdoor high jump and 100 meter hurdles, and ranks in the program's top-five all time in three more events. The Bridgeport, Connecticut native is a nine-time Atlantic 10 individual champion, has 12 A-10 medals, is a four-time New England champion and collected a silver medal in high jump at the ECAC Championships.
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Harris was named the women's Most Outstanding Field Performer at the 2020 Indoor Atlantic 10 Championships after totaling 28 individual points to help the Minutewomen to the team title. She won two of UMass' five gold medals at the meet with A-10 titles in high jump (5'8") and 60 meter hurdles, matching the meet record with a winning time of 8.45 seconds. Additionally, Harris took silver medal in long jump, breaking a 34-year old school record in long jump, leaping 19 feet 3.5 inches. A dual-major in social thought and political economy as well as communication, Harris was named the UMass Female Spring Scholar-Athlete this past May.
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Players Mentioned
Hurdles/Jumps
/ Women's Track & Field
Distance
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