ANNVILLE, Pa. (July 20, 2022)  – Stevens Institute of Technology women's volleyball alumna Elizabeth Chu was selected as one of four nominees from the Middle Atlantic Conferences (MAC) for the prestigious NCAA Woman of the Year Award, the league office announced Wednesday.

Chu was chosen alongside Messiah University track & field student-athlete Esther Seeland, Alvernia University softball student-athlete Sarah Reinert and DeSales University women's basketball student-athlete Averi Jordan. The league can select up to two nominees to represent each of the three conferences (MAC Freedom, MAC Commonwealth and MAC) that constitute the Middle Atlantic Conference. Chu, representing Stevens Women's Volleyball, alongside Jordan, were selected as the two MAC Freedom nominees, while Reinert was elected to represent the MAC Commonwealth and Seeland earned the nod to represent the MAC. The nomination is aligned with the conference affiliation of the student-athlete's primary sport.

"The MAC is thrilled to be nominating these four outstanding women," MAC Executive Director Megan Morrison said in the conference's official announcement. "They have excelled in the classroom and contributed to their communities in impactful ways, all while working hard to achieve success in their sports."

Established in 1991 and rooted in Title IX, the Woman of the Year Award traditionally recognizes graduating student-athletes that have distinguished themselves with their performance on and off the field, standing out among their peers in the four pillars of the award.

"I am so honored to be recognized by the Middle Atlantic Conference and the MAC Freedom for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award," Chu said. "I am grateful for this prestigious honor, but also for the recognition of Stevens Women's Volleyball's accomplishments and efforts in the classroom, on the court, and within our community."

The four nominated student-athletes will be forwarded by the conference office to the NCAA's Woman of the Year selection committee, who will determine the top-30 honorees - 10 from each division - before announcing the top nine finalists (three per division), which is expected to be announced in September. The NCAA will formally acknowledge all conference nominees in August.

"Lizzie has been the consummate student-athlete and truly represents what it means to be the NCAA Woman of the Year," Director of Athletics Russell Rogers commented. "Beyond her credentials on the court and in the classroom, Lizzie has brought an incredible level of positive energy and enthusiasm to our women's volleyball team and athletic program. She is a wonderful role model, who has clearly cemented a place as one of the all-time great student-athletes at Stevens."

Chu's selection marks the third straight year that a Stevens student-athlete advanced in the Woman of the Year process as a conference nominee. The Old Tappan, New Jersey native is the eighth student-athlete since 2007 to earn the right to represent Stevens and its respective conference alongside the top female student-athletes across the country. Chu is the Ducks' second conference Woman of the Year to represent the women's volleyball program. Alumna Naomi Chin was named the Women's Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Woman of the Year in 2003, however, finalists were selected from a pool of student-athletes chosen as state winners as opposed to conference nominations, and it is believed that the WIAC did not submit a formal nomination for consideration.

"Beyond the many accolades and awards, what sets Lizzie apart from other elite student-athletes is her ability to not only succeed at everything that she does, but she also makes everyone around her better in the process," head women's volleyball coach Brianna Jones said. "She is not only the embodiment of leading by example, but she also finds a way to pull the best version out of all those around her. Lizzie uses her personable and caring personality to find a way to relate to everyone, while also providing a space for people to be themselves. Each person within our program not only looked up to her on the court, but off of it, as well. She is what many student athletes strive to be: diligent, hardworking and personable."

The pillars of the Woman of the Year award are academics, athletics, service and leadership. Chu has an accomplished resume in all four areas.

Chu totaled 1,720 digs in just three competitive seasons, closing her career fourth in program history. A three-time conference Defensive Player of the Year award winner, including two in the MAC Freedom, Chu averaged 4.82 digs per set, which ranks second in program history, while also dishing out 257 assists, serving up 134 aces and recording nine kills. A three-time first-team All-Conference honoree, Chu's was named a Third Team American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-American in 2021 and also earned a pair of AVCA All-Region nods. Chu's third-team All-America nod is believed to be the first in program history. 

With Chu in the fold, Stevens amassed a 71-28 record, including an impressive 22-1 mark in league play. The Ducks captured a pair of MAC Freedom titles, with Chu earning MAC Freedom Tournament Most Valuable Player Honors in 2021. 

Chu, the 2021 MAC Women's Volleyball Senior Scholar-Athlete, completed her undergraduate degree in chemical biology with a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade-point average and was recognized by Stevens as one of 16 students named Top of the Class of 2022. A three-time Academic All-American, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America, Chu was the recipient of the Lawrence C. F. Horle Memorial Award, the Luigi Pollara Award, the Maurice E. Roglin Award and the Outstanding Undergraduate Research Award in Chemistry and Chemical Biology at the 2022 undergraduate awards ceremony. Chu was also recognized by the New York American Chemical Society with its student award for excellence in chemical biology. 

A two-time Academic All-MAC selection, Chu is one of just four student-athletes in school history to earn three Academic All-America honors. She was also named one of two MAC Freedom nominees for the inaugural DIIICA Student-Athlete of the Year Award.

A multi-year team captain, Chu has shadowed doctors affiliated with Hackensack Meridian Health, the Palisades Women's Group, along with doctors specializing in internal medicine and pediatrics. Chu also developed a business plan for an Asian American Big Brother/Big Sister program for the greater New York City area, whose goal was to create an educational model for adolescents to helping develop a sense of identity and pride in their Asian culture amidst the rise of Asian Hate in the United States. She was also an intern with Project Asian Health Education and Development (AHEAD), where she worked with a group of Asian American students on a community health needs assessment for the city of Flushing, New York. Chu was also an active member of Alpha Epsilon Delta health honor society, Stevens' Health Professionals Club, and the athletic department's Mile City Mentor program.

The NCAA previously announced that 577 female student-athletes were nominated for the 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year Award, 202 of which were from Division III. A total of 75 student-athletes across all NCAA divisions represented women's volleyball. 

For the first time in the award's history, the Top 30 honorees will be celebrated and the Woman of the Year will be named at next year's NCAA Convention, which will take place in San Antonio.

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