(STILLWATER, Oklahoma / October 2, 2018) – Former Oklahoma State softball standout Vanessa Shippy has been selected as one of nine finalists for the 2018 NCAA Woman of the Year, it was announced Tuesday afternoon. She is the first OSU athlete to be named a finalist for the award in school history.
The NCAA Woman of the Year is a national award honoring academic achievement, athletic excellence, community service and leadership. The award is unique in its recognition of female student-athletes who are not just successful on the field and in the classroom, but have also contributed to their communities and campuses.
"Being a collegiate student-athlete completely changed my life," Shippy said in a personal statement to the NCAA. "The experience helped me earn a degree that will make my professional dreams come true and allow me to provide a good life for my family. It has taught me self-discipline, time management, patience and perseverance.
"I've made many friends and mentors that will be in my life for years to come because of my time as a student-athlete. Most importantly, this experience has given me a platform to provide a positive example to numerous young children."
In 2018, Shippy was tabbed as the Big 12 Softball Player of the Year for a second time and earned All-Big 12 First Team honors for a third-consecutive season. Additionally, Shippy became just the second three-time NFCA All-American in OSU history.
The Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, native earned Senior CLASS First Team All-America accolades and was named a top-10 finalist for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award. Shippy ranked among the top five players nationally in batting average (.471), on-base percentage (.613), runs scored (73) and walks (57) last season. She led the Big 12 in all four of those categories.
Academically, Shippy notched a 3.895 grade-point average and was named the Big 12 Softball Scholar-Athlete of the Year for a second-consecutive season. She was also a three-time Google Cloud Academic All-American during her four years in Stillwater.
Shippy graduated from Oklahoma State in May with degrees in finance and marketing, as well as a minor in accounting.
The NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee will announce the winner of the prestigious award on Oct. 28 at a ceremony in Indianapolis. To learn more about the award program and previous winners, visit ncaa.org/woty.
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Oklahoma State is proud to celebrate more than 40 years of rich softball tradition and its 20th season of play at Cowgirl Stadium this year. To renew or purchase your season tickets for the 2019 campaign, visit okstate.com/tickets or call the OSU ticket office at 877-ALL-4-OSU.
