June 26, 2013
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Leading the Saint Joseph's women's basketball team to the 2013 Atlantic 10 title and NCAA Tournament appearance, recent graduate Chatilla van Grinsven has been named one of the A-10's nominees for the prestigious NCAA Woman of the Year award, conference officials announced on Wednesday.
One of two nominees, van Grinsven joins La Salle's Gabrielle Pakhtigian in representing the A-10 in the national ballot. Selected by the A-10's Council of Senior Woman Administrators, the pair was selected from a pool of eight candidates to represent the Atlantic 10 as the league's Woman of the Year nominees. The Conference was permitted to choose two candidates if one of the nominees is an international student or a minority.
One of the most prestigious NCAA awards, organization established the Woman of the Year Award in 1991 to celebrate the achievements of women in intercollegiate athletics. Now in its 22nd year, the award is unique because it recognizes not only the athletics achievements of outstanding young women, but also their academic achievements, community service and leadership.
In her lone season at SJU, van Grinsven led the team in scoring and rebounding, van Grinsven en route to being named an A-10 All-Conference First Team selection. A native of Helmond, Netherlands, the starting forward posted 16 double-doubles this season, and averaged 14.9 points and 10.4 rebounds per game, becoming just the fifth player in team history to average a double-double for the season. The 10th Hawk to be named to Big 5 Player of the Year, and first since Susan Moran in 2001-02, van Grinsven etched her name in the SJU record books in several categories as her 333 rebounds were third most in a single season, while her 47 blocked shots tied for fourth. van Grinsven ended the season leading the Hawks in scoring 19 times and rebounding 26 times. Scoring over 1,000 career points combined at Colorado State and SJU, she was also named to the A-10 Championship All-Tournament Team, Hawk Classic All-Tournament Team and Gator Holiday Classic All-Tournament Team.
Graduating this past May with a degree in international business, van Grinsven has been equally involved in the community. Twice named the team's Roosevelt Hunter Community Service Award recipient and an active member of the "Heart of a Hawk" service program, van Grinsven has continued to work towards the betterment of others. Prior to graduation, she helped establish the non-profit organization Children's Hope United to help contribute significant amounts of assistance in order to improve the situation of deprived children in Morocco.
NCAA member institutions from all three divisions nominated their own woman of the year. To be eligible, these women must have competed and earned a varsity letter in an NCAA-sponsored sport and must have completed eligibility in their primary sport. The top 10 honorees per division will be announced in August 2013, then the top three honorees per division will be announced in September 2013. The national winner, the 2013 Woman of the Year, will be announced at Woman of the Year Awards Dinner in Indianapolis on October 20, 2013.
