Two former SEC female student-athletes have been honored as Top 30 finalists for the 2023 NCAA Woman of the Year Award. The two SEC honorees are Callie Dickinson, a previous member of the University of Georgia's swimming & diving program, and Aliyah Boston, a former member of the University of South Carolina's women's basketball team.
The NCAA Woman of the Year Award (established in 1991) recognizes female student-athletes who have exhausted their NCAA eligibility and distinguished themselves in their community, both as students and as athletes, throughout their college careers.
During her five seasons swimming at Georgia, Dickinson earned six College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) All-America honors, recorded top-10 times in four events in program history, competed at two U.S. Olympic Trials, and reached two finals at the 2023 Phillips 66 National Championships.
Out of the pool, Dickinson earned a bachelor's degree in human development and family science with summa cum laude honors in May 2022, received the 2023 SEC H. Boyd McWhorter Women's Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, was named to the CSCAA Scholar All-America Team and the SEC Academic Honor Roll, and intends to become an orthopedic surgeon while continuing to train for the World University Games. Quite the resumé.
Aliyah Boston might be the most decorated female basketball player in NCAA history. Named the 2022 Naismith Women's College Player of the Year, Boston helped her team win the 2022 National Championship along with three SEC regular-season titles and three SEC Tournament titles. Boston was also chosen as the 2022 Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year, was a three-time First-Team All-American, a two-time Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year, the 2020 National Freshman of the Year, a two-time SEC Women's Basketball Player of the Year, four-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year, four-time All-SEC First Team recipient, and the 2020 SEC Freshman of the Year. Oh, and Boston was also the first overall pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft. Talk about a crowded trophy case.
Boston excelled in the classroom, too; graduating magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree in mass communications in May 2023, was the 2021-22 CSC Academic All-America Overall Team Member of the Year, the CoSIDA Women's Basketball Academic All-American of the Year in 2021 and 2022, and was a constant member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll, the Dean's List, and the AD Honor Roll.
As for next steps, the Woman of the Year Selection Committee will announce nine finalists from their Top 30 in November, review them, and name the 2023 NCAA Woman of the Year at the NCAA Convention, which will take place in Phoenix in January 2024.
While all 30 finalists are deserving of the Woman of the Year Award, it's tough to imagine that any of them boast more impressive resumés than both Dickinson and Boston. There seems to be a good chance that one of these two outstanding women will add to their already immense trophy collections come January.
