UNCW’s Audrey Harding nominated for NCAA Woman of the Year

Harding tallied 23 goals and 20 points in five seasons in Wilmington and was a three-time All-CAA honoree

WILMINGTON, North Carolina – UNCW women’s soccer alum Audrey Harding is among 577 nominees across the nation for the 32nd annual NCAA Woman of the Year award.

Harding, an Akron, Ohio, native, exemplified the four pillars of the award – academics, athletics, service and leadership – during her outstanding career with the Seahawks.

A recipient of the Thomas V. Mosley award as the Seahawks’ top student-athlete of the 2021-22 year, Harding helped UNCW win its first Colonial Athletic Association regular season championship in 2021 after scoring a team-high eight goals, six against a conference opponent. She was a three-time All-CAA selection, including two First-Team nods in her final two seasons.

Harding played in 68 career games with 35 starts for the Seahawks. She is the seventh leading scorer in program history with 23 goals and 66 points. Harding is one of three players with 20 career goals and 20 career assists.

The 5-10 forward became the second National Women’s Soccer League Draft selection in program history when she was taken with the No. 38 pick in the 2021 NWSL Draft by the Washington Spirit.

Harding graduated with a 3.78 cumulative GPA and a degree in Elementary Education with a concentration in Behavioral Studies from UNCW’s nationally-acclaimed Watson College of Education. She appeared nine times on the CAA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll.

Five Colonial Athletic Association student-athletes from four league members also have been selected as nominees for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award, the NCAA announced Thursday.

Drexel lacrosse’s Karson Harris, Hofstra soccer’s Lucy Porter, UNCW soccer’s Audrey Harding, and Towson’s Emily Jarome (volleyball) and Crystal Johnson (track & field) are five of 248 institutional nominees recognized by the NCAA for the four pillars of academics, athletics, service, and leadership.

Harris finished her collegiate career as the CAA’s all-time leader in draw controls and helped Drexel to its first two NCAA Tournament appearances in 2021 and 2022. The 2021 CAA Player of the Year finished her time in Philadelphia with 211 goals, 263 points, and 351 draw controls.

Porter helped Hofstra to four NCAA Tournament appearances in her five seasons on Long Island. The three-time CAA Midfielder of the Year ranks ninth in CAA history in points, 11th in goals, and 13th in assists in a collegiate career that was followed by time playing professionally in her native England.

Harding tallied 23 goals and 20 points in five seasons in Wilmington and was a three-time All-CAA honoree for the 2021 regular season champions. The Ohioan was selected 38th in last winter’s NWSL Draft and has been a consistent contributor for the Washington Spirit this season.

Jarome tallied 1,034 kills and 775 digs in her time at Towson, which included three CAA Championships. The outside from Delaware was a three-time All-CAA selection in a Tigers uniform, including a first-team nod in 2021.

Johnson won seven CAA Championship events in her Towson career including the 100m in each of the last three years and the 200m in the last two seasons. Towson’s program recordholder in the 60m, 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay was an NCAA East qualifier in 2021.