Full Centennial Conference Release
HAVERFORD, Pa. - Recent Haverford College graduate Jessica Lopez '21 has been nominated to represent the Centennial Conference as an NCAA Woman of the Year nominee. Lopez is the fourth Haverford student-athlete to earn the CC's nomination for NCAA Woman of the Year, joining a list of standout alumnae including Aislinn Sowash (2007), Emily Hinchcliff (2008), and Josie Ferri (2012). Washington College field hockey player Kailyn Brandt joined Lopez as nominees from the Centennial.
Now in its 31st year, 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. Every year, the NCAA encourages each member college and university to honor its top one or two graduating female student-athletes by submitting their names for consideration for the Woman of the Year award.
A sprinter, jumper, and senior captain for the Haverford track & field team, Lopez concluded her career as a two-time all-region selection by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association of America (USTFCCCA), and a 12-time All-Centennial honoree in the indoor and outdoor seasons. Her 12 All-Centennial awards include five individual silver medals in the 60-meter dash, 200-meter dash (three times), and triple jump. She collected 10 individual titles at meets throughout her career and ranks among Haverford's top-10 all-time performers in eight different events.
An anthropology major and health studies minor from South Pasadena, Calif. Lopez graduated this spring with a 3.81 cumulative grade point average. She received the Wyatt MacGaffey Thesis Award in Anthropology for the class of 2021, which recognizes an outstanding thesis in anthropology at Haverford. Lopez was a three-time member of the CC Academic Honor Roll in both the winter and spring seasons, thrice earned Academic All-Centennial honors, and also earned multiple academic honors from the USTFCCCA.
Lopez also stood apart instantly as a leader in the Haverford community. She co-founded and co-led the Athletes of Color Coalition (AOCC) to provide support for athletes of color, dismantle racism and elitism, and collaborate with campus leaders to create programming, promote a culture of diversity, and create space for athletes to build networks of support. Lopez was elected as Officer of Athletics by the entire Haverford student body, leading the athletics community through a difficult year.
Her additional leadership roles included serving as a teacher's assistant for the chair of the Haverford Anthropology Department, utilizing a stipend from the Haverford Microfinance & Impact Investing Initiative to work as a market analyst at ROAR for Good, a wearable technology startup, leading the Tri-Co Consulting Bootcamp, an eight-week management consulting bootcamp for 90 Haverford, Bryn Mawr, and Swarthmore students, and participating in the AESOP Academy, a series of lectures, mock client scenarios, and group project cases.
Lopez also completed a marketing and communications internship at Shift Capital via the Whitehead Internship Program, and interned at the Wellness Center Los Angeles, where she helped patients gain permanent access to low-cost public transportation, created a bilingual video for patients, and co-authored a $360,000 grant application to secure funding for trauma care.
The NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee identifies the Top 30 – 10 from each division – and from there selects three finalists from each division. The top 30 honorees will be announced in September, and the 2021 NCAA Woman of the Year will be announced later in the fall.