Former Wall Basketball Star Named Top 30 NCAA Woman of the Year

SAN ANGELO, TX – Lubbock Christian University’s Maddi Chitsey-Crisler was selected as a Top 30 honoree for the 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year Award, as announced by the Woman of the Year Selection Committee on Thursday.

Selected from a record 605 school nominees — a group that was then narrowed to 161 nominees by conference offices — the Top 30 honorees include 10 from each of the three NCAA divisions. All have demonstrated excellence in academics, athletics, community service and leadership. The honorees competed in 14 sports and studied a broad range of academic majors, including nursing, mechanical engineering, biochemistry, criminal justice, kinesiology, accounting and advertising.

NCAA RELEASE: Top 30 honorees named for 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year Award

The selection committee will announce the nine finalists, including three women from each NCAA division, in mid-October. From those finalists, the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics will select the 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year. The Top 30 will be celebrated, and the Woman of the Year will be named this fall.

Chitsey-Crisler wrapped up her senior year by earning both of the Lone Star Conference’s  highest honors - Athlete of the Year and Academic Athlete of the Year.  She helped LCU to an LSC title and became the first player in the league’s history to claim women’s basketball player of the year, defensive player of the year and academic player of the year honors in the same season. 

The Wall, Texas native, was also named to the WBCA and D2 CCA All-America teams, All-Texas team by Dave Campbell's Texas Basketball, and D2 CCA All-Region team as the South Central Region Player of the Year.  Chitsey-Crisler led LCU in scoring (13.5), ranking eighth in the LSC. She also ranked fourth in the LSC in field goal percentage (46.7%), sixth in blocks (58) and blocks per game (1.9), seventh in field goals made (154) and defensive rebounds per game (4.8) and 10th in free-throw percentage (74.8%).  Chitsey-Crisler, who was named to the inaugural LSC Athletic Performance Team, was part of a Lady Chap defense that finished the season leading Division II in field-goal percentage defense, holding opponents to a 31.7% shooting mark.

An exercise sports science major with a 3.94 GPA, Chitsey-Crisler was recognized by the league as LCU's female Scholar-Athlete award winner as well.