Natasha Subhash Named ACC Nominee for NCAA Woman of the Year
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia women’s tennis player Natasha Subhash is one of two student-athletes nominated by the ACC for the prestigious NCAA Woman of the Year award, the league office announced Wednesday (Aug. 7) by the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The NCAA Woman of the Year Award, established in 1991, honors graduating female student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership.
Subhash emerged as one of the two ACC 2024 NCAA Woman of the Year candidates following a vote of the league’s member schools. Jala Wright of Duke softball was the conference’s other nominee.
“The ACC takes great pride in consistently recognizing our student-athletes, and specifically the exceptional women nominated by our member institutions for the prestigious NCAA Woman of the Year Award,” said ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, Ph.D. “This year, Natasha and Jala were selected by the membership from an outstanding pool of talented women who embody the highest standards of achievement in collegiate athletics. The ACC applauds the incredible academic, athletic and community service accomplishments of Natasha, Jala, and all of this year’s league nominees.”
Subhash graduated from the University of Virginia with a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce in 2023 and a Master’s Degree in Accounting in 2024.
During her time at UVA, Subhash achieved numerous academic and athletic honors. She was recognized as a three-time CoSIDA Academic All-America honoree, a five-time ITA Scholar-Athlete, a five-time ACC Academic Honor Roll member, and a three-time recipient of UVA’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award. She was also awarded the 2023 Walter B. Doggett Accounting Award from the McIntire School of Commerce for her exceptional academic performance in accounting.
Subhash made significant contributions to the UVA women’s tennis program. She concluded her career as a four-time ITA All-American and received the 2022 Ralph Sampson Scholarship Award for demonstrating excellence in academics, leadership, and athletics. Subhash also received national recognition, being named the National Freshman of the Year in 2020 and receiving the 2023 Arthur Ashe Jr. Leadership and Sportsmanship Award.
On the tennis court, she achieved the third-highest number of singles victories (117), the fourth-highest number of doubles wins (111), and the fourth-highest combined singles and doubles wins (228) in the history of the Virginia women’s tennis program. Additionally, she won the ITA Atlantic Region Singles Championship twice and the 2023 ITA Atlantic Regional Doubles Championship with her partner, Hibah Shaikh.
Outside of athletics, Subhash was actively involved in the UVA community. She served on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, participated in the Student-Athlete Leadership Academy, and volunteered with programs such as the ACE Program, Madison House, and the Xperience Special Olympics Tennis Clinic. Furthermore, she mentored student-athletes in the McIntire School of Commerce.
All conference-level nominees are forwarded to the NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee, which will choose the top 10 honorees in each division. From among those 30 honorees, the selection committee will determine the three finalists in each division.
Finally, the members of the Committee on Women’s Athletics will vote from among the top nine finalists to determine the 2024 NCAA Woman of the Year.
The national Top 30 honorees and nine finalists will be announced later this fall. The 2024 NCAA Woman of the Year will be announced at the 2025 NCAA Convention.
To learn more about the award program and previous winners, visit ncaa.org/woty.
The 16 nominees from ACC member institutions are included below, reflecting the 15 member institutions from the 2023-24 academic year.
Name, Sport, School
Kayla Martello, Lacrosse, Boston College
Brianna Smith, Outdoor Track & Field, Duke
Jala Wright, Softball, Duke
Mallorie Black, Softball, Georgia Tech
Carol Lee, Tennis, Georgia Tech
Anna Debeer, Volleyball, Louisville
Sara Byrne, Golf, Miami
Alexa Noel, Tennis, Miami
Dorrit Eisenbeis, Field Hockey, North Carolina
Kelsey Chmiel, Cross Country, NC State
Jadin O’Brien, Track & Field, Notre Dame
Chiamaka Nwokolo, Volleyball, Pitt
Eefke van den Nieuwenhof, Field Hockey, Syracuse
Natasha Subhash, Tennis, Virginia
Alex Walsh, Swimming & Diving, Virginia
Rachel Kuehn, Golf, Wake Forest