SUWANEE, Ga. -- In exclusive voting by the Senior Woman Administrators of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference, Kate Brush of Colorado College has been selected 2023 SCAC Woman of the Year.
In addition to being recognized as SCAC Woman of the Year, she will be nominated for the 33rd annual NCAA Woman of the Year Award.
"We are so proud of Kate," said Colorado College Vice President and Director of Athletics Lesley Irvine. "She has had an extraordinary career here at CC. To be recognized at the conference level for her commitment, hard work and talent is special and we are immensely grateful for all she has given to the program and our community."
The NCAA Woman of the Year Award honors graduating student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, community service and leadership.
Brush becomes CC's third SCAC Woman of the Year honoree since the institution joined the conference prior to the 2006-07 academic year. Isabelle Aragon-Menzel earned a share of the award in 2021 and Melanie Auguste won the award in 2009.
"Kate is an impressive athlete and student, and her performances in those arenas speak for themselves," said Colorado College head swimming coach Anne Goodman James. "I am most impressed, though, with her tremendous growth as a person and team member during her years here at CC. Her teammates admire her consistent and intense work ethic in practice every day and appreciate her all-out efforts while competing for the team and our overall team goals. Besides becoming a faster swimmer, she has developed her resiliency and poise through her experience as a collegiate athlete."
Brush earned three All-America honors at CC, including two this season at the 2023 NCAA Division III Championships. She claimed a first-team All-America nod with an eighth-place finish in the 100 butterfly and a second-team selection with a ninth-place finish in the 200 butterfly. Brush is the first female swimmer in school history to be an All-American in multiple events in the same year and the second to earn the honor in multiple years.
The senior captured six SCAC individual titles, including three this season in the 500 freestyle, 100 butterfly and 200 butterfly. A 27-time all-SCAC honoree, Brush holds both the 100 and 200 butterfly conference meet records and set the SCAC open record in the 200 butterfly this year with a time of 2:02.13. She currently holds five school records.
"As a college swimmer, I pursued excellence, both individually and as part of a team," said Brush. "Representing Colorado College in collegiate sports has fostered personal qualities like discipline, perseverance, and the ability to work well on a team. Competing on the national stage at the NCAA Division III Championships alongside other talented athletes showed me the importance of dedication, sportsmanship, and the power of athletics to inspire. Watching other swimmers break records, have incredible relays, and support each other after races - even on rival teams - was amazing to see."
Out of the pool, Brush has been involved in several activities and initiatives, both on campus and within the Colorado Springs community. One initiative in particular that left a lasting impression on the all-American was a partnership with Team Impact, a non-profit that matches sick or disabled children with collegiate sports teams.
"My leadership roles over the past four years have provided many opportunities to positively influence my campus and community, notably, my involvment with Team Impact," said Brush. "(Our) work with a young girl named Shelby was life-changing for the entire women's swim team. Witnessing Shelby's strength and resilience through her struggles with Juvenile Dermatomyositis inspired me to continue to use my platform as an athlete to support those in need."
"These experiences, from my academic pursuits to my volunteer involvement to my leadership activities have shaped my growth as a student-athlete and broadened my perspective. They have taught me that success is not only measured by the performance in the pool - it is measured by the impact on lives of others."
Brush was one of five outstanding nominees considered by the SCAC Woman of the Year Committee. The other candidates were:
- Kaylea Patridge, Softball, Centenary College
- Emma White, Volleyball, Southwestern University
- Bailey Hudgeons, Softball, Texas Lutheran University
- Molly Sheridan, Soccer, Trinity University
As the SCAC winner, Brush will be nominated for the NCAA Woman of the Year award, one of the most prestigious honors the NCAA bestows. The award recognizes senior student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership.
All conference nominees will be forwarded to the NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee. The selection committee will choose the top 10 nominees in each division. From among those 30 honorees, the selection committee will determine the top three in each division. From the nine finalists, the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics then selects the NCAA Woman of the Year, who will be named this fall.
In conjunction with the changes in the nomination process for the NCAA Woman of the Year award, the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Woman of the Year award was established for the 2005-06 athletic season. Beginning in 2006, the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics (CWA) started receiving conference-designated nominees in lieu of the previous institution- and state-based nomination format.
From 1991 to 2005, each state had a woman of the year honoree and from that group 10 finalists were selected. From the top-10 finalists, the national winner was then chosen. Since 2006, each conference and independent school forwards nominations to the NCAA.
To read about past winners of the SCAC Woman-of-the-Year award, click here.
2022 - Kelly Jurden, softball, Texas Lutheran University
2018 - Britney Sullivan, outdoor track and field, Trinity University
2017 - Amanda Lochte, softball, Texas Lutheran University
2015 - Emily Jorgens, soccer, Trinity University
2013 - Rachel Thibodeau, volleyball, Southwestern University
