INDIANAPOLIS – Augustana's Kendall Cornick is a finalist for the 2021 NCAA Woman of the Year Award. She is one of nine finalists – three from each NCAA division – announced Thursday by the NCAA. The former softball student-athlete graduated from Augustana in May 2021 with her degree in biology and psychology with a concentration in neuroscience.
 
"We are so proud of Kendall and all that she accomplished as a student-athlete and are glad that the NCAA recognizes the excellence she brings to all aspects of the student-athlete experience," Augustana Director of Athletics Josh Morton said.

Finalists were selected from the Top 30 Woman of the Year honorees, made up of 10 women from each division. The Top 30 represented 12 sports, including one NCAA emerging sport for women. In 2021, schools nominated 535 graduating female student-athletes for this prestigious award.

"Kendall Cornick is truly an exceptional student-athlete and human being," Augustana softball head coach Gretta Melsted said. "She embodies what is good and right in this world. She is a role model in all facets of life and she is so deserving of this honor and opportunity. There are very few people that excel at the highest level in academics, athletics and in life. Kendall is a prime example of this.
 
"She lives a life of integrity, is a tireless worker, is a servant leader to her teammates and in the community, a scholar, an amazing athlete, and most importantly a passionate future doctor who wants to help uplift and care for people in their toughest moments of life."
 
A native of Mason City, Iowa, Cornick was initially named the NSIC honoree of the NCAA Woman of the Year in August followed by a Top-30 selection in September.
 
NCAA Woman of the Year Bio
Outfielder Kendall Cornick helped her team win the 2019 Division II Softball Championship. In 2021, she was named first-team All-American by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association and the Division II Conference Commissioners Association. A finalist for the 2021 Schutt Sports/NFCA Division II Player of the Year, she was the 2021 D2 CCA Central Region Player of the Year and 2021 conference Player of the Year. She had 34 steals in 2021, ranking second nationally, and set a school record for RBIs in a single game (7). The 2021 CoSIDA Division II Academic All-America Team Member of the Year for softball also earned second-team honors in 2020. She received the 2020-21 D2 CCA Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award and the Northern Sun Willis R. Kelly Scholar-Athlete Award in 2021. A 2021 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipient, she analyzed drug targets for medulloblastoma, a common form of childhood brain cancer, as a student research fellow. She also served as director of community outreach for Augustana's Kidney Disease Screening and Awareness Program, providing free kidney health screenings. Cornick was a surgical services volunteer and pediatric companion at Sanford Hospital, as well as a surgical assistant at Avera McKennan Hospital.
 
"Behind every empowered woman is a team of empowered women who helped get her to that point, and my gratitude lies in many strong females who have guided me thus far," Cornick said. "As I look ahead, an empowered woman will indeed empower more women, but I will also strive to empower underserved communities and underrepresented patients as I fight for a more humanistic approach to medicine."
 
At 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 9, the finalists and Top 30 honorees will be celebrated and the 2021 NCAA Woman of the Year will be announced during a virtual awards ceremony. The show will be streamed on the NCAA Twitter account and ncaa.org/woty.