TOWSON, Md. - Seven Landmark Conference female student-athletes were recently nominated for the prestigious National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Woman of the Year honor.

Eligible female student-athletes are nominated by their member school. Each conference office then reviews the nominations from its core member schools (and sponsored sports) and submits its conference nominee(s) to the NCAA. Then, in October, 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 Committee on Women's Athletics then selects the winner from the nine finalists.

"Reviewing our exceptional Woman of the Year nominations remains a highlight of the job for me and I look forward to this each July," exclaimed Landmark Conference Commissioner, Katie Boldvich. "It is so inspiring to read about these women's collegiate careers, what they have each accomplished in the classroom, on the playing fields, and in the first steps of their respective professional paths is nothing short of amazing. They are all worthy of this recognition, and I am so proud that they all participate in athletics in the Landmark Conference. I wish them all nothing but the best in these next steps of the selection process."

The 2023 NCAA Woman of the Year will be announced at the NCAA 2024 Convention in January.

Get to know the seven Landmark nominees below

Gracie Burford | Catholic University

A two-time All-Landmark Field Hockey selection, Burford made 41 career starts. As a senior, the defender started in 17 of the Cardinals' 18 games and helped the program to the Landmark Field Hockey title this past fall.

Off the field, Burford was a three-time Landmark Academic Honor Roll selection, as well as a three-time National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) National Academic Squad honoree. She was additionally named to the 2023 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District team this spring.

Burford graduated from Catholic with a degree in Operations Management. She was heavily involved with the campus community, serving on the University's Service Corp, and MLK Teach-In Committees. She was a founding member of the athletic department's CARDS United Diversity and Inclusion Committee, which was designed to promote DEI practices and provide training opportunities for members throughout the department's operations. Burford was additionally a founding member of the Athletic Department DEI Book Club.

Katie Cashin | Drew University

Cashin made an impression during her time at Drew. She registered an outstanding four-year career for the Rangers, capped by a tremendous showing at the 2023 Landmark Conference Championships, where she was named Women's Swimmer of the Year after winning five gold medals over the three-day meet. In her top performance, she lowered her own meet record by winning the 400-IM with a time of 4:31.61. Cashin also reset her own school record with a winning time of 2:07.20 in the 200-IM, and she helped the victorious 200-freestyle relay team break an additional Drew record in 1:37.35. She also captured the 200-butterfly and swam on the winning 200-medley relay team.

Over her career, Cashin has won 19 Landmark Conference gold medals, and she was also named the Landmark Conference Rookie of the Year in 2020. A two-year team captain, she owns eight school records, including all five relays and three individual events: the 200-butterfly (2:06.28), 200-IM, and 400-IM.

Away from the pool, Cashin graduated from Drew with a degree in Chemistry and was a three-time Landmark Conference Academic Honor Roll selection. She has also been heavily involved in numerous campus activities, including the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and the Drew University Chemistry Society. She is also the Co-President of Drew's Active Minds Club and was the organizer of a suicide prevention project on campus. Cashin has also been extremely active in the community, volunteering at both Homeless Solutions and Grow it Green in Morristown.

Laura Cardona | Elizabethtown College

Cardona was a two-sport student-athlete for Elizabethtown, participating in both women's cross country and women's track and field. On the track, Cardona was a two-time All-Landmark selection, earning Second Team honors in the 400-meter hurdles at the Outdoor Championships in 2022 and 2023.

She has been honored across multiple departments at Elizabethtown for her work within the classroom. In 2019, she was awarded the Stamps Scholarship, which is given to those for academic excellence, leadership service, and character, and was awarded the Outstanding Attorney Award at the Blue Jays Mock Trial. Cardona was awarded the US Department of State Critical Language Scholarship (Persian), and the Mid-Atlantic E.U. Simulation Hames A. Blessing Award in 2020, and was named the Etown Sophomore Distinguished Student Award in 2021. During her junior and senior years, she was named the recipient of the Department of State Critical Leadership (Chinese) and was Financial Executives International Senior Award respectively.

Cardona was the 2023 Critical Language Scholarship Award Recipient for Chinese. She is currently studying the language in an intensive Mandarin program in Taiwan.

Ceri McCaffrey | Goucher College

On the court, McCaffrey was a two-time All-Landmark selection for the Gophers women's tennis program. She earned Second Team Singles in 2023 and Second Team Doubles in 2022. She was additionally named to the Landmark All-Sportsmanship Team this past spring.

A three-time Dean's List selection, McCaffrey graduated Goucher Cum Laude with a degree in Biological Sciences. She was awarded the Goucher Gairdner B. Moment Prize in Biology. The prize is awarded to students who have demonstrated superior achievement in biological sciences.

McCaffrey was involved in the Gopher Leadership Academy, which helped prepare student-athletes for leadership roles in athletics and outside of athletics. She was also on the Goucher Student Government Restructuring Committee. The committee aided in restructuring the agenda of the Student Government to provide better services and support students.

Cate Baran | Juniata College

Baran, who was the conference Softball Senior Scholar-Athlete this past spring, made the Landmark Conference All-League First Team in 2023 and was named to the Second Team in 2022. She ranks third all-time in career wins (21), sixth all-time in program history in career earned run average (2.96), and fifth in innings pitched (295.2). Additionally, she ranks second all-time in career strikeouts with 243.

She holds the single-season record for stolen bases at 21 and is the career leader for stolen bases with 40. Offensively, Baran was a .304 hitter with 22 RBI, 15 doubles, two triples, and two homeruns. She also had 40 stolen bases.

Baran graduated from Juniata in three years and put together an impressive resume academically. She made the College's Dean's List in the Fall of 2020, 2021, and 2022 as well as in the Spring of 2022. Baran is also a three-time Landmark Conference Academic Honor Roll selection and earned National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-America Scholar-Athlete honors.

Baran was the recipient of the M.G. Brumbaugh Scholarship as well as both the NSF JC-SOURCE Scholarship and the Yenter Scholarship. She was also awarded the Juniata Founders Grant and PHEAA Grant. She also served as an Inbound First-Year orientation leader.

Crystal Robinson | Moravian University

Robinson leaves Moravian as one of the most decorated track and field student-athletes. She was a 13-time All-Landmark First Team selection, a four-time All-League Second Team honoree, and was named to the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Region teams a total of 11 times.

She was additionally named the Landmark Conference Indoor Track Athlete of the Year in 2020 and 2022 and was named the Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year in 2022 and 2023. Robinson was also on the 2020 Indoor Championship team and the 2021 and 2022 Outdoor Championship teams. She leaves Moravian as a two-time NCAA National Championship qualifier, a school record holder in the 4x400 meter relay, and ranks in the top 10 in four different events.

Off the track, Robinson made Moravian's Dean's Honors List eight times as well as being a member of the Chi Alpha Sigma National College Athlete Honor Society. She was a six-time member of the Landmark Conference Academic Honor Roll. Robinson majored in business management and was selected to the 2023 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team.

Teresa Hegarty | University of Scranton

One of the best student-athletes for Scranton women's soccer, Hegarty ends her career as a three-time conference champion, a two-time All-Landmark First team selection, and a two-time United Soccer Coaches (USC) All-Region honoree. She was additionally named as a USC All-American Third Team selection and was named to the D3soccer.com All-Amerca Third Team. She was part of the Scranton soccer programs that advanced to the NCAA Division III Sweet 16 in 2021 and 2022 and the Second Round in 2019.

Academically, Hegarty was named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team and the USC Scholar All-East Region team in 2022 and was a three-time conference Academic Honor Roll selection. She was the recipient of the university Carlesimo Award, which is given annually to the male and female members of the senior class athletes who have demonstrated both academic and athletic excellence, and was the Catherine Manley Cofey Fellowship Recipient.

Hegarty, an eight-time Dean's List honoree, was a member of the Business Honors and Business Leadership Honors programs, along with being a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma, Alpha Sigma Nu, and Omega Bet Sigma Honor's Societies.