Today former UConn 4-time All-American Maya Moore was named one of 30 finalists for the 2011 NCAA Woman of the Year award.The finalists have been chosen by a selection committee of representatives from various NCAA schools and conferences. This year a record 471 nominations were submitted for the award that will be presented later this fall. The Woman of the Year Award, now in its 21st year, honors female student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in academic achievement, athletic excellence, community service and leadership. The prestigious program also involves a community service initiative that gives honorees the opportunity to interact with each other and with young girls in the city of Indianapolis who look to them as role models. Every NCAA member institution is encouraged to honor its top graduating female student-athlete by submitting her name for consideration. Each conference assesses the eligibility of its members’ nominees and selects at least one student-athlete to represent the conference. To be eligible for the award, a female student-athlete must have completed intercollegiate eligibility in her primary sport by the end of the 2011 spring season, graduated no later than the end of the summer 2011 term and achieved a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 2.5. The NCAA recently honored 142 women representing NCAA athletic conferences and independent schools for their accomplishments. The selection committee will now narrow the Top 30 to three finalists from each division to form the Top Nine, which will be announced in early September. The NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics will select the national winner from the Top Nine honorees. The 2011 NCAA Woman of the Year will be announced during the Woman of the Year dinner in Indianapolis on Oct. 16.