All-Time Big West NCAA Woman of the Year Nominees | 2025 NCAA Big West Woman of the Year Nominee Photo Gallery 

The Big West proudly announces its 10 school nominees for 2025 NCAA Woman of the Year award. Eight league member institutions have at least one woman across six conference-sponsored sports in the submissions. 

The Big West institutional nominees for 20245 NCAA Woman of the Year are: 

• Isabella Cruz - Cal State Fullerton soccer
• Bernadette Doyle - Hawai'i water polo
• Karen Flores - Cal State Bakersfield soccer
• Amelia Honer - UC Santa Barbara tennis
• Kaia Johnson - Cal State Bakersfield softball
• Esther Matarranz- UC Riverside basketball
• Corissa Sweet- Long Beach State softball
• Dorottya Telek- CSUN water polo
• Lyla Traylor - Cal State Fullerton volleyball
• Lily Wahinekapu - Hawai'i basketball

The NCAA Woman of the Year program, established in 1991, honors the academic achievements, athletic excellence, leadership, and community service of outstanding graduating female student-athletes. This prestigious award recognizes individuals who have made a lasting impact both on and off the field throughout their collegiate careers. 

To be eligible for nomination, student-athletes must have earned a varsity letter in an NCAA-sponsored sport and completed their undergraduate degree by Summer 2024. The award celebrates holistic excellence across all three NCAA divisions, highlighting those who exemplify the ideals of the student-athlete experience. 

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 2025 NCAA Woman of the Year. The Woman of the Year will be celebrated at the 2026 NCAA Convention in January. 

Isabella Cruz

Cal State Fullerton soccer

• Earned a B.A. in Communications from Cal State Fullerton, graduating Summa Cum Laude (GPA 3.9+) in just 2.5 years through dual enrollment coursework currently ,pursuing an M.A. in Communications at CSF with expected graduation in Spring 2026.

•Fall 2023-24 Big West All-Conference Academic Team while also name the Dean’s List in the College of Communications for five consecutive semesters: Fall 2022-24.

• Three time women’s soccer SAAC representative: 2023-25

• Serve as Social Media Manager for the Fellow Christian Athletes leadership team, overseeing Instagram content to promote events, share spiritual encouragement while fostering community through digital storytelling focused on faith, leadership, and sportsmanship.

• Support youth girls from underrepresented communities as a volunteer coach with Football for Her, focusing on confidence, joy, and skill development while fostering an inclusive and empowering environment through mentorship and encouragement.

Bernadette Doyle

Hawai'i water polo

• Pursuing Master of Science in Marketing Management at Hawai’i, expected Summer 2025, maintaining a perfect 4.00 GPA.

• Doyle led Hawai‘i to historic success as an All-American in 2024 and 2025, guiding the team to back-to-back NCAA Championship semifinal appearances. The Rainbow Wahine reached a program-best No. 2 national ranking in 2024 and finished No. 3, followed by a No. 3 ranking and No. 4 finish in 2025.

• Named 2024 ACWPC All-Academic Superior honoree by the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches; nominated for the top Outstanding recognition in 2025, awarded for GPA ranges from 3.71 to 4.00.

• Earned multiple Big West academic honors, including 2024 and 2025 Spring All-Academic Team selections and repeated inclusion on the Commissioner’s Honor Roll with Honors and Highest Honors from 2018 through 2025. 

• Recognized on the UH Manoa Exemplary Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll with Gold Honors (highest level) in 2024-25, and Bronze Honors in 2023-24; also a member of the 2024-25 UH Athletics 4.0 Club and multiple-year UH Manoa Scholar-Athlete honoree since 2018. 

• Honored as 2025 Big West Player of the Year and back-to-back All-Big West First Team selection (2024, 2025); named 2024 Big West Championship MVP; three Big West Player of the Week awards; key contributor to Big West regular season Championship squads from 2019 through 2025.

Karen Flores

Cal State Bakersfield soccer

• Completed 89 hours of community service over 3.5 years at CSUB, supporting organizations such as Mothers Against Drunk Drivers, Special Olympics, Education Day, and Reading Across America.

• Three-time College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honoree (2022–2024) and four-time Academic All-Conference honoree (2021–2024).

• One of only four female nominees for CSUB Athletics’ President’s Award, the university’s highest honor for student-athletes.

• Logged in nearly 4,000 career minutes in 68 matches while recording 10 goals, 4 assists, and 24 points. Currently playing at the professional level with Mexico.

Amelia Honer

UC Santa Barbara tennis

• Graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a major in major in Sociology alongside a minor in Applied Psychology with a 3.83 GPA.

 • Named to the Big West Commissioner’s Honor Roll in 2023–24 and 2024–25; honored as UCSB’s 2023–24 Golden Eagle Award winner for achieving the highest GPA on the team.

• Two-time Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table Women’s Tennis Athlete of the Year and two-time College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honoree.

• Led camps for Community Pro-Arms to learn the game of tennis from 2023-24.

• Led UCSB to the 2022 Big West Championship, an undefeated conference record in three seasons, the program’s highest-ever ITA team ranking at No. 22, and a second-round NCAA Tournament appearance.

Kaia Johnson

Cal State Bakersfield softball

• Graduated from Cal State Bakersfield with a 3.84 GPA in Communications and Liberal Studies.

• Completed 173 hours of community service over five years at CSUB, contributing to initiatives such as Special Olympics, ShePower, Ronald McDonald House, STEM Zone, and National Girls & Women in Sports Day.

• Three-time College Sports Communicators Academic All-District and Academic All-Conference honoree (2023–2025); named the 2025 female recipient of CSUB Athletics’ President’s Award, the university’s highest honor for student-athletes.

• Ranks in the Top 10 in program history for career games played (185) and games started (180); holds CSUB records for most stolen bases in a career (57) and in a single season (25).

Esther Matarranz

UC Riverside

• Graduated Magna Cum Laude from UC Riverside with a degree in Electrical Engineering

• Awarded UCR Student-Scholar of the Year (2022–2023) for outstanding leadership and excellence both on and off the court.

• Dean’s List honors every quarter and was named to the Chancellor’s List four consecutive years (2022–2025).

 • Served as SAAC team representative, advocating for student-athlete perspectives in campus decision-making.

• Helped lead the team to its first postseason WNIT appearance since 2016 in 2024 and contributed to qualifying for the Big West Championship each year from 2022 to 2025.

Corissa Sweet

Long Beach State softball

• Graduated with a 3.73 GPA in Biochemistry (honors program) from Long Beach State.

• Earned Academic All-District Honors in 2025; completed a senior thesis the same year; named to the Big West Commissioner’s Honor Roll with Highest Honors (2023–2025); consistently recognized on the President’s List and Dean’s List across multiple semesters; participated in the Honors Program and received the President Scholarship from 2021 to 2025.

• Featured speaker for the President’s Scholars Program panel, sharing personal experiences and engaging with donors to highlight student impact and strengthen support.

• Tutored students in chemistry, math, and biology, offering learning strategies and mentorship to boost confidence and academic success in challenging courses.

• Coached K-12 athletes at on-campus youth camps and local communities, teaching softball fundamentals, promoting teamwork, and fostering a positive, supportive environment.

Dorottya Telek

CSUN water polo

• Completed a Double major in Financial Analysis and Marketing alongside an Economics minor with a 3.88 GPA at CSUN.

• Actively engaged in community service, including food drives with CSUN Women’s Water Polo, biannual blood donations, volunteering at a local shelter, and providing meals and playtime for children in need.

• Earned Big West All-Academic Team honors (2022–2025), CSC Academic All-District recognition (2023–2025), and ACWPC All-Academic honors (2021–22, 2024); named Big West Scholar-Athlete of the Year in both 2023 and 2024.

• CSUN’s all-time leader in career goals (376), field goal percentage (53.7%), and exclusions drawn (367); also ranks fifth in career blocks (61) and holds the Big West all-time record for goals scored (476). A four-time All-Big West selection, including First Team honors in 2022, 2024, and 2025, and Second Team in 2023.  

Lyla Taylor

Cal State Fullerton

• Capped off academic career at Cal State Fullerton with a 3.94 GPA in Mathematics, concentration in Probability and Statistics.

• Participated in a six-week NSF-sponsored intensive research program hosted by CSUF and UCI, contributing to a project modeling the equation of state of dense neutron stars using Gaussian processes; continued research through the SoCal Data Science Program, analyzing AllOfUs data to study the effects of sleep on type II diabetes in women.

• Graduated Summa Cum Laude with multiple academic honors, including the Dean’s Honor List (2021–2024), Big West Commissioner’s Honor Roll with Highest Honors (2021–2024), the Undergraduate Academic Achievement Award, and OBLBASA Outstanding Student in Statistics for the 2024–25 academic year.

• Collaborated with the AllOfUs Research Program to collect, clean, and analyze data examining the effects of type I diabetes and its relationship with social determinants of health.

Lily Wahinekapu

Hawai'i basketball

• Graduated from Hawai’i in Interdisciplinary Studies major with a concentration in Biomedical and Integrated Health Studies, BA 

• Named 2025 UH Manoa Athletics Jack Bonham Award co-female recipient, the department’s highest honor recognizing excellence in athletics, academics, service, leadership, and character; also earned the 2025 Ah Chew Goo Award as the Women’s Basketball team’s Most Valuable Player.  

• Served as a summer program staff member and mentor, coaching youth ages 6–16 in basketball while promoting teamwork, leadership, and communication skills; contributed to environmental stewardship through native plant restoration and lo‘i work, and helped fundraise for Maui wildfire relief efforts alongside teammates. 

• Recognized for sustained academic excellence with multiple honors, including CSC Women’s Basketball Academic All-District Team (2023–2025), Big West Winter All-Academic Team (2022–2025), and Commissioner’s Honor Roll with Honors (2022–2025). 

• Earned UH Manoa Silver Honors on the Exemplary Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll (2022–2025), was a UH Manoa Scholar-Athlete all three years, named to the Dean’s List four times, and repeatedly honored on the UH Manoa Athletic Director’s Honor Roll (Fall 2022–Spring 2025). 

•• • Led UH to two 20+ win seasons and three postseason appearances (1 NCAA First Round, 2 WBIT First Rounds); scored 1,114 career points to rank 18th in program history and became the 25th player to surpass 1,000 points. Also ranks 7th all-time in made three-pointers (122) and was the team’s leading scorer for three consecutive seasons—the first to do so since 2014.