Five finalists announced for Tech's 2010 NCAA Woman of the Year

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech University Athletic Department has announced five finalists for the school’s 2010 NCAA Woman of the Year Award, with the winner to be announced Sunday (July 4).

To be eligible for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award, students must be a senior or graduate student who has completed her athletic eligibility during 2009-10. Criteria for selecting the award include both athletic and academic accomplishments, as well as additional areas such as community involvement and public service.

The Awards Committee has selected two members of the volleyball and track & field teams and one from golf. The list of finalists is smaller this year because the women’s tennis, softball and women’s basketball teams did not have any seniors for consideration for the award. The finalists are:

Diana Carson (Golf/Lafollette, Tenn.) - Diana led the women’s golf team in her senior season, shooting the lowest average on the squad at 77.8 through 15 rounds of tournament play. She earned two Top 10 finishes, including a third place effort at the Ann Rhoads Classic to claim all-tournament honors.  It gave her six all-tournament honors during her four-year career on the team. She was named to the OVC all-conference team in 2008. A member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Diana served as co-captain of the team and was active in a variety of community service and campus projects. She was involved in Chi Alpha, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and the University Christian Student Center. She served as a member of both the Oracle (newspaper) and Eagle (yearbook) staffs. She has earned a spot on the OVC Academic Honor Roll, the TTU Athletic Director’s every semester and the Dean’s List every semester.  She graduates in May with a 3.62 GPA in communications.

Teresa Craig (Volleyball/Muncie, Ind.) – A true student-athlete, Teresa excelled both athletically and academically during her career. During her senior year, she missed the first two sets of a pivotal OVC match to take the LSAT before returning to help Tech to a five-set victory over Murray State. With 449 sets played, Teresa has appeared in the third most matches of any Golden Eagle in the program’s history. She finished her career with 980 digs and 372 kills, including a career-best 173 kills during her senior campaign. Teresa hit a career-high .171 during her final season and also posted a career-high 35 blocks.  For the second time in her career, Teresa earned CoSIDA Academic All-District recognition as a senior. She was also one of just six individuals to receive the OVC Scholar-Athlete Award. Named the Student of the Year for the political science department this year, Teresa is the president of the political science honor society (Pi Sigma Alpha) and recipient of Paul G. Stephenson Scholarship Endowment. Teresa has a perfect 4.0 GPA and was a finalist for the prestigious Derryberry Award. A tutor to her teammates and leader on Tech’s 2008 OVC Championship-winning team, Teresa has also helped greatly in the Cookeville community. She has helped with several projects for Habitat for Humanity and Mustard Seed Ranch in addition to helping organize a food drive and volunteering at a local animal shelter. Teresa received a full scholarship to Michigan State Law School to continue her education.

Rachel Forbes (Track & Field/Norris, Tenn.) – A captain for the past two years on the TTU women’s track & field team, Rachel has been a model student-athlete throughout her four-year Golden Eagle career. She has competed in the pole vault and the javelin, having an impact on both events including setting the school record as a junior in the pole vault and tying the record as a senior. In addition to competing in those events, she has provided leadership to her teammates and worked on a variety of projects for coach Tony Cox in organizing and hosting the 2010 Ohio Valley Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships. A key member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Rachel served as secretary for SAAC as well as service organizer. She helped plan and carry out two SAAC projects at the Dismas House and also participated in a painting project at Cookeville’s Mustard Seed Ranch. She was secretary of the Newman Catholic Campus Ministry and served as a Sunday School teacher at a local church. Rachel won the EXPN Fitness Award and Pre-Professional Award for 2009-2010, has been on the Dean’s List, the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll and the OVC Academic Honor Roll every semester for four years.

Amanda Lindgren (Volleyball/Albuquerque N.M.) – Amanda was a consistently outstanding performer on the Tech volleyball team for the past four seasons, finishing her career second in the program’s history in kills with 1,426. She also racked up 974 career digs and 174 blocks as she ranked among the team’s leaders annually in each category. In 2009, Amanda finished second on the team with 314 kills and third with 57 blocks. She posted five double-doubles and hit double-digits in kills during 19 of the team’s 28 matches. Her .198 hitting percentage was also the fourth best on the team. The volleyball team’s President’s Award recipient as a junior for her contributions in the community, in the classroom and on the court, Amanda was a key member of Tech’s 2008 OVC Championship winning team where she earned OVC All-Tournament team honors. A mentor to her freshmen teammates, Amanda was a member of the OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll each semester at Tech and served on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for two years. She received the Outstanding Psychology Student Award and is a member of the Psychology National Honor Society (Psi-Chi). Additionally, Amanda has participated in canned food drives and also volunteered at the Mustard Seed Ranch and a women’s shelter. Amanda will continue her education in a Master’s program at the University of Denver.

Tiffany Palmer (Cross Country, Track & Field/Cleveland, Tenn.) – Tiffany emerged as the leader on the TTU women’s cross country team in her final season, enjoying a stellar year that netted her all-OVC first-team honors with a strong performance at the OVC Championships. She was either first or second on the team in every meet during the fall. This spring she competed in every event longer than 1,500 meters. During the indoor season, she had Tech’s best times in the 3,000- and 5,000-meter runs. At the OVC Indoor Championships, Palmer had Tech’s highest finish of the meet, claiming second place in the 5,000-meter run in a career-best time of 18:20.28, just four seconds off the winning pace to earn eight team points. During the OVC Outdoor Championships, she placed third in the 10,000-meter run in 38:25.96 to earn six points for Tech and help the Golden Eagles to their highest finish in school history. She has been involved as a volunteer in many community and campus activities, including Special Olympics, Cookeville Jaycee’s Road Race, the SAAC Canned Food Drive, ushering at TTU games and the Rodney Atkins concert, Angel Tree, Read Aloud, Autism Support and the Christmas Memories program. In addition to her participation in SAAC, she is also a senator for the College of Education in the Student Government Association and a member of Mortar Board. On campus, she worked toward passing SOLO bill on the TTU campus, was certified in First Aid and CPR, won the First-Year Writing Awaerd and was nominated for Pi Lambda Theta. A member of the Dean’s List, the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll and the OVC Academic Honor Roll, she also participates with the Student of Tennessee Education Association (STEA) and the National Education Association (NEA) and will graduate cum laude in May.