INDIANAPOLIS - NCAA conferences and independent schools have nominated 142 female student-athletes for the 2016 Woman of the Year Award.

These women, selected from a record 517 school nominees, represent college athletes from 17 different sports spanning all three NCAA divisions. Of those recognized, 54 nominees competed in Division I, 37 in Division II and 51 in Division III. Two of the honorees also will represent the United States at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

In addition to Sarah Lawrence women's tennis student-athlete Sarah Fiordaliso, the conference's nominee for the prestigious award, both Rachel Mirsky of Yeshiva and Joann Murino of St. Joseph's-Long Island were among the list of overall nominees.

In early September, the Woman of the Year selection committee will name the Top 30 honorees, representing the top 10 women in each division. The selection committee will then choose and announce the nine finalists, with three from each division, at the end of September. Then, from the pool of nine finalists, the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics will determine the 2016 Woman of the Year.

The Top 30 honorees will be celebrated and the 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year will be named at the annual banquet Oct. 16 in Indianapolis.

The NCAA Woman of the Year program has recognized graduating female student-athletes for excellence in academics, athletics, community service and leadership since its inception in 1991.

Fiordaliso was a three-year member of the Sarah Lawrence women's tennis program before graduating in May. She has been involved in a multitude of community projects during her collegiate career, including tutoring at local schools, alternative spring break service trips, and four months volunteering in Africa.

In her personal statement for the award, Fiordaliso explained, "I studied human development and community-based participatory research while working with nonprofits in Tanzania, Malawi, and Zimbabwe. Working with these organizations to battle the regional orphan crisis, I found that my athletic experience transcended interpersonal boundaries."

Fiordaliso also served the Yonkers, N.Y. community as a volunteer tutor for elementary and middle-school students, teaching math and science on a weekly basis. In addition, she participated in a variety of service programs, including Habitat for Humanity, Martin Luther King Day of Service and Hurricane Sandy relief efforts.

On the court, Fiordaliso won a Hudson Valley Women's Athletic Conference championship title in 2012, playing at No. 3 doubles; she also advanced to the finals in both singles and doubles during the 2013 tournament. 

After missing her junior season to study abroad, Fiordaliso returned to the court in the 2015 season, she amassed a 12-0 doubles record during the regular-season, including a 7-0 ledger against Skyline opponents. Fiordaliso also won six singles matches, helping the Gryphons to their first Skyline Conference postseason berth in any sport. She finished her career with 25 doubles victories, fourth most in the Sarah Lawrence program’s 25-year history.

In the classroom, Fiordaliso graduated with a GPA over 3.9, and she was named to the Skyline Academic Honor Roll.