The Big West celebrates 11 school nominees for 2024 NCAA Woman of the Year. Featuring a pair of multi-sport student-athletes, seven conference-sponsored sports are represented within the submissions. Eight Big West member institutions have at least one woman in the pool of 626 total nominees from schools across all three NCAA divisions (291 Division I ).   

The Big West institutional nominees for 2024 NCAA Woman of the Year are: 

• Kaylee Glagau - Hawai'i beach volleyball
• Amber Igiede - Hawai'i beach & indoor volleyball
• Katie Kennedy - Long Beach State beach & indoor volleyball
• Miranda Miller - Cal State Bakersfield track & field
• Alyssa Moore - UC Irvine soccer
• Linley Ooi - Cal State Fullerton golf
• Maddie Phantumabamrung - Cal State Fullerton soccer
• Dome Rodriguez - Cal State Bakersfield soccer
• Jordan Webster - UC Riverside basketball
• Shaylan Whatman - CSUN softball
• Alexis Whitfield - UC Santa Barbara basketball

Next, conferences will select up to two nominees each from their pool of nominees, if at least one of the nominees is a woman of color or an international student-athlete. The Woman of the Year selection committee will then choose 10 women from each division to make up the Top 30 to be announced in October. The selection committee will determine the top three honorees in each division announced in November, and the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics will determine the 2024 NCAA Woman of the Year. The Woman of the Year will be celebrated at the 2025 NCAA Convention in January. 

The NCAA Woman of the Year program was established in 1991 and honors the academic achievements, athletics excellence, community service, and leadership of graduating female college athletes from all three divisions. To be eligible, a nominee must have competed and earned a varsity letter in an NCAA-sponsored sport and must have earned her undergraduate degree by Summer 2024. 

Kaylee Glagau

Hawai'i beach volleyball

Graduated from Hawai'i with a degree in social work with a 3.78 GPA

2022 and 2023 AVCA All-American, First Team with partner Brooke Van Sickle 

Took home the University of Hawai'i Exemplary Scholar-Athlete Gold Honors twice

Four-time Big West Commissioner’s Honor Roll, Highest Honors, and three-time Big West All-Academic Team member 

Amber Igiede

Hawai'i beach & indoor volleyball

Graduated from Hawai'i with a bachelor's degree in Psychology with a 3.51 GPA

2022 Big West Player of the Year, 2023 Big West Championships Most Valuable Player, 2024 UH Female Athlete of the Year

Volunteer volleyball coach for numerous organizations including UH Volleyball Camo, Nakeiki Mauloa Club, and own volleyball clinic with teammate Kennedi Evans 

Five-time Big West Commissioner’s Honor Roll, Highest Honors, Four-time Big West Academic Team member (three indoor volleyball, one beach volleyball) 

Three-time All-Big West First Team and two-time AVCA All-America honoree 

Katie Kennedy

Long Beach State beach & indoor volleyball

Graduated Summa Cum Laude and made the President's list before earning a graduate degree and the Kinesiology Department 4.0 Award at Long Beach State 

Participated as a SAAC member all four years while also serving on the Athletic Director hiring committee in final year at LBSU

Earned 2021 All-Big West First Team honors in both beach and indoor volleyball before accumulating All-Big West Second Team recognition in both sports again in 2022 

Miranda Miller

Cal State Bakersfield track & field

Graduated from Cal State Bakersfield with a master's degree in Kinesiology with a 3.95 GPA

 Two-time Big West pole vault champion and four-time All-Big West honoree

2022 Big West Female Field Athlete of the Year

Big West overall and championship record holder in pole vault

Volunteered for organizations and initiatives such as: Special Olympics, Reading Across America
Mothers Against Drunk Driving, Bakersfield Marathon and Hofman Hospice

Alyssa Moore

UC Irvine soccer

Graduated from UC Irvine with a degree in Criminology, Law and Society; Psychological Sciences 

Recipient of the 2023 UCI Athletics Leadership Award, an honor that recognizes challenges that international students face when studying and competing in intercollegiate athletics

2022-23 Big West Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year and three-time All-Big West selection

Three-year UCI SAAC member and Big West Academic All-Conference

Linley Ooi

Cal State Fullerton golf

Graduated from Cal State Fullerton with a degree in Communications with an emphasis in Marketing and Advertising

President of Cal State Fullerton SAAC for three years upon transferring from Oklahoma

Interned with CSUF’s Athletic Media Department while also spending time creating meaningful relationships with the Diversity Initiatives & Resource Centers (DIRC)

2023 Red Rocks Invitational 2nd Place 

Maddie Phantumabamrung

Cal State Fullerton soccer

Graduated Cal State Fullerton Summa Cum Laude with a double major in Political Science & Women & Gender Studies as Valedictorian of Women and Gender Studies

Honors thesis on how Division I athletes negotiate gendered expectations in women’s sports

Recipient of the 2024 Outstanding Undergraduate in Political Science Award 

Fellowship of Christian Athletes student president at Cal State Fullerton

Four-time Big West Academic All-Conference

Dome Rodriguez

Cal State Bakersfield soccer

Graduated Cal State Bakersfield with a degree in Engineering Science with a 3.90 GPA 

2024 CSUB Athletics Heart of a Champion Award winner, epitomizing heart over talent and will and desire over playing time

Volunteered with organizations and initiatives such as Campus Clean Up, CSUB Athletics Gameday Staff, Education Day, National Women & Girls in Sports Day, and Read Across America

Two-time Big West and CSC Academic All-Conference and Academic All-District  

Jordan Webster

UC Riverside basketball

Graduated UC Riverside with a degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Management

Led The Big West in scoring for the 2023-24 season while also earning All-Big West First Team accolades

Four-time Highlander Academic Honor Roll

Will continue collegiate and playing career as a graduate student at the University of Kansas in Fall 2024

Shaylan Whatman

CSUN softball

Graduated CSUN with a degree in Criminology and Justice Studies with a 4.00 CSUN GPA earning Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year  

Selected as one of 16 players on the Australian Women's Softball Team, the "Aussie Spirit", for the 2024 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) World Cup this summer  

Capped off senior campaign ranking second in the conference in runs scored (44) and home runs (10)  

Gave back to the CSUN community by volunteering at multiple food drive events and open house 

2024 Big West and CSC All-Academic Team  

Alexis Whitfield

UC Santa Barbara basketball

Graduated UC Santa Barbara with a degree in Sociology with a 3.35 GPA

Chosen as spokesperson to represent UC Santa Barbara student-athletes at UC Regents where Whitfield spoke about their concerns, plans to enhance the campus environment, and the importance of inclusive leadership 

Community service activities with Boys & Girls Club and She is Beautiful Run

Led the Gauchos in scoring with last year (15.1 PPG) earning an All-Big West First Team selection