INDIANAPOLIS -- Following their graduation from Academy of Art University this past year, two highly decorated Urban Knights have been nominated for the 2019 NCAA Woman of the Year award. This year, Sterling Hawkins (women's golf) and Brenna Youngquist (softball) serve as ART U's dual nominees for one of the most prestigious annual honors the NCAA has to offer.

Now in its 29th installment, the Woman of the Year award honors graduating female college athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in academics, athletics, service and leadership. Previous Academy of Art nominees include women's basketball/track & field standout Jasmin Guinn (2017), women's tennis players Michelle Dandik Zaale (2017), Nina Gajdosikova (2016) and Jenny Johansson (2015), softball outfielders Haily MacDonald (2016) and Elyse Cordova (2015), along with women's golfers Crystal Superal (2013) and Andrea Nieto (a top finalist in 2014).

Hawkins, who finished with a cumulative 3.23 GPA in the School of Communications & Media Technologies, signed off on one of the most impressive ART U golf careers to date. The San Jose, Calif. native helped guide the program to finishes of third or higher at every PacWest Tournament Championship, 23 top-three tournament results as a team, and made the All-PacWest Team three times including a 2017 season that saw her named PacWest Golfer of the Year. A six-time PacWest Golfer of the Week and four-year Academic All-PacWest honoree, Hawkins was just the second player in program history to reach NCAA Nationals in 2016.

"It means a lot to me to be a nominee because I want to continue to inspire and help others reach their goals," said Hawkins. "I believe that even small steps make big differences and to be able to see everything come together after four years of being on a collegiate golf team is great."

Contributing to the team's nine top-three finishes in her first two seasons, Hawkins approached what would be a breakout junior year after earning All-PacWest Second Team and PacWest All-Tournament Team as a sophomore. She secured two individual tournament victories as a junior, winning the 2016 Dixie State Invitational and 2017 Sonoma State Invitational en route to another PacWest All-Tournament Team selection, All-PacWest First Team, and the program's second PacWest Golfer of the Year honor to that point in ART U history. Hawkins, who went on to add another All-PacWest Second Team award in 2018, achieved her athletic success while also logging 40 community service hours.

Youngquist, owner of a 3.12 cumulative GPA in the School of Acting over her four years competing on the softball field, truly epitomized the phrase, "Hit bombs, sing songs." Breaking home runs and walks records as one of the most prolific power hitters in program history, Youngquist also was cast in productions of "Legally Blonde" and "In The Heights" in her career. An Academic All-PacWest recipient, she led the team in home runs during Urban Knights' 40-win 2018 season which featured the program's NCAA postseason debut.

"Being able to represent my sport and my school is surreal," said Youngquist. "It means the world to me that I was able to accomplish so much over the years. It feels amazing that all of the hard work, struggle, and passion was noticed and I was able to play a role in making history with the softball program."

Younquist made an immediate impact as a freshman, homering in just her fourth collegiate game, leading the team with 40 runs batted in, and going on to earn All-PacWest Third Team honors that year. She offered her highest single-season batting average (.325) as a sophomore and then broke the program's single-season walks record (36) amid ART U's historic postseason run in 2018. The Buena Park, Calif. native literally went out with a bang as a senior, homering twice on the final day of the 2019 season to break the program's career home run record. A three-time PacWest weekly award winner, Youngquist also put in more than 53 community service hours over the last four years.

The NCAA Woman of the Year nominations are now under review by each school's conference office and two individuals will be submitted as the conference nominees to the NCAA. A selection committee then chooses the Top 30 nominees (10 from each division) before narrowing it down to three finalists from each division. The Committee on Women's Athletics selects the winner from the top nine. The 2019 NCAA Woman of the Year winner will be announced, and the top 30 honorees celebrated, at the annual award ceremony Oct. 20 in Indianapolis.