LEXINGTON, Va. — The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) announced that recent Washington and Lee graduate Courtney Berry (Charlottesville, Va./Western Albemarle) is among the 63 Division III conference nominees for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award. In total, there are 152 conference-level honorees across all three divisions. 
 
The NCAA Woman of the Year program is rooted in Title IX and has recognized graduating female college athletes for excellence in academics, athletics, community service and leadership since its inception in 1991.
 
Berry graduated this spring with a degree in psychology. She was named the ODAC's Marjorie Berkley Award winner in 2021, and earned four letters as a middle blocker on the volleyball team over her four seasons. A team captain as a senior, she collected All-ODAC honors all four years, garnering First Team laurels as a first-year, junior and senior. She was also selected as the ODAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year this season and a CoSIDA First Team Academic All-American. Berry added all-region accolades as a first-year and junior, and was a 2019 AVCA Honorable Mention All-America honoree.
 
The 2017 ODAC Rookie of the Year, Berry finished her playing career with 799 kills, 396 blocks, 246 digs, 120 assists and 53 service aces. Her .335 career hitting percentage ranks fourth in program history, while her 396 blocks are also fourth all-time. She is a member of Omicron Delta Kappa.

Berry also helped lead the Generals to the 2020-21 ODAC Championship, as the team registered its first undefeated season (16-0) in program history. She is the fourth W&L volleyball player to earn Academic All-America laurels, and the first to make the first team.
 
The Woman of the Year Selection Committee, made up of representatives from the NCAA membership, will now choose the Top 30 honorees, 10 from each division, from the conference-level nominees. The Top 30 honorees will be announced in September. From there, the selection committee will narrow the pool to three finalists from each division. The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics will select the 2021 Woman of the Year from the nine finalists later this fall.