2020 NCAA Woman of the Year School Nominees

INDIANAPOLIS -- Following their graduation from Academy of Art University this past year, two highly decorated Urban Knights have been nominated for the 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year award. This year, women's tennis twins Alma Thell-Lenntorp and Klara Thell-Lenntorp serve as ART U's dual nominees for one of the most prestigious annual honors the NCAA has to offer.

Now in its 30th 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 softball student-athletes Brenna Youngquist (2019), Haily MacDonald (2016) and Elyse Cordova (2015), women's golfers Sterling Hawkins (2019), Andrea Nieto (a top finalist in 2014), and Crystal Superal (2013), women's basketball/track & field standout Jasmin Guinn (2017), and women's tennis student-athletes Michelle Dandik Zaale (2017), Nina Gajdosikova (2016), and Jenny Johansson (2015).

As a tandem, the Thell-Lenntorp sisters authored legendary careers. En route to a 67-14 combined doubles record, two-time ITA All-Americans (2019, 2018) Alma and Klara captured the ITA Regional Doubles Championship three straight years (2018, 2017, 2016) and added three All-PacWest First Team selections (2019, 2018, 2017) plus one Second Team honor to their resume as well. The twins helped Academy of Art finish third or higher in the PacWest Conference Tournament in each of their last three seasons, leading to a trio of postseason appearances. In 2018, the Thell-Lenntorp sisters guided ART U to the NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals where they defeated then-No. 1 ranked Barry's top twosome and, following their third ITA Regional Doubles Championship that subsequent fall, they assumed the title of No. 1 doubles team in the country in the spring of 2019.

Each member of the duo had accomplished a great deal individually as well. Alma, who finished with a cumulative 3.56 GPA in the School of Communications & Media Technologies, began her career with three of the winningest single-seasons the program has seen. As a freshman, she went 18-2 in singles play then impressively bettered that result the following year at 18-1 (.947) to break ART U's record for single-season win percentage. It was that 2017 season which culminated with her being named both Female Athlete of the Year and Urban Knight of the Year with her sister at ARTYs. As a junior, she captained the team, earned one PacWest Player of the Week selection, and ultimately finished with a 17-4 singles record before her senior year saw the Lund, Sweden native go 14-3, breaking the program's record for career singles wins and earning All-PacWest First Team in singles in the process. In addition to securing four Academic All-PacWest honors and three D2ADA Academic Achievement Awards, Alma also put in 40 community service hours over the last four years.

"Four years went fast, but I really had the time of my life," said Alma. "It couldn't have ended in a better way than being nominated. I'm so glad I got to shared it with my sister. I'm so very proud of us for all of our achievements both on and off the court. It's something I'll carry with me into the future."

Klara, owner of a 3.60 cumulative GPA in the School of Communications & Media Technologies over her four years competing on the tennis court, began with a nearly perfect singles run as a freshman. She went 14-1 (.933, second in program history) to start in 2016, earning her the distinction of being named the team's Most Valuable Player at ARTYs, and came back strong at 15-4 as a sophomore along with her first Urban Knight of the Year selection. A captain for the team's deepest postseason run, she went 13-8 while splitting time primarily across the second and third singles positions, adding D2 Women's Tennis HERO of the Week to her resume, and eventually securing All-PacWest Second Team in singles. She assumed the No. 1 singles position as a senior, going 12-4 there while also breaking the career doubles record (she had added two wins without her sister in 2018), being bestowed All-PacWest First Team (singles) and ITA West Region Most Improved Senior honors, and finishing as the team MVP and Urban Knight of the Year each for the second time at ARTYs. In addition to securing four Academic All-PacWest honors, three D2ADA Academic Achievement Awards, and an ITA All-Academic Scholar Athlete selection, Klara also put in 39 community service hours over the last four years.

"These four years have been the best time of my life and it's hard to find words to describe how thankful I am for being a part of the Urban Knights family," said Klara. "I am truly honored to be nominated. It is a great ending of an extraordinary story. Sharing it with my sister, my best friend, has been the top of it. I am so incredibly proud of us and what we have done. I will never forget it."

After the NCAA Woman of the Year nominations are reviewed by each school's conference office, 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 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year winner will be announced, and the top 30 honorees celebrated, this fall.