Big South Announces Institutional Nominees for Woman of the Year Award
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (www.BigSouthSports.com) – The Big South Conference announced today its institutional nominees for the 2024-25 Woman of the Year Award. Nominees for the annual honor are submitted by the league’s member institutions, and a Selection Committee of Conference Administrators will determine the Big South Woman of the Year, who will advance as the Conference’s official nominee for the national NCAA Woman of the Year Award.
A total of 10 individuals comprise this year’s institutional nominees, seven of which are the official candidates for Big South Woman of the Year -- Charleston Southern golfer
Odette Font Garcia (Mallorca, Spain), High Point lacrosse player
Esprit Cha (Ellicott City, Md.), Longwood soccer player
Alex Dinger (Fredericksburg, Va.), Longwood softball player
Er’ron Burton (Suffolk, Va.), Radford volleyball player
Meredith Page (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), USC Upstate track & field athlete
Rachel Davis, and Winthrop lacrosse player
Maddy Hodgson (Lebanon, Ohio). Also among the institutional nominees from non-sponsored Big South sports were Presbyterian top/tumbler
Abigail Katz (Columbia, S.C.), Presbyterian wrestler
Chiara Barbieri (Brampton, Ontario) and UNC Asheville swimmer
Riley Edmundson (Flower Mound, Texas).
Katz, Barbieri and Edmundson will be entered into a separate Woman of the Year candidate pool considered by a national committee. The committee decides which of those non-conference nominees will move forward to the conference round.
Garcia, a Business Administration in Financial Management major, was involved in CSU’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), was a volunteer junior golf coach for youths, and volunteered with the local First Tee program to mentor and support kids on and off the course. She was the Big South Women’s Golf Championship Medalist in 2024.
Cha, a Biology major, was a four-year member of the Panthers’ lacrosse team where she was a two-time team captain. Off the field, she volunteered at Little Potion’s Farm and Hospice of the Piedmont, organized the annual Mason Run 5K with proceeds dedicated to the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation, and was a volunteer Physics tutor as well as a peer mentor for underrepresented students entering STEM at HPU.
Dinger, who majored in Kinesiology with a concentration in Health & Human Performance, was a team captain for the Lancers, a study hall monitor and tutor for Longwood athletics, a volunteer coach at the local YMCA, and participated with FACES Food Pantry, Habitat for Humanity and New Life Church in Farmville.
Burton, a Computer Science major, was a study hall monitor at Longwood in addition to a computer science tutor, secretary of Upsilon Pi Epsilon International Honor Society, and a four-year member of the Honors College.
Page, who majored in Business Administration, Management, was the Chair of the Big South SAAC as well as the league’s National representative. While at Radford, she was a Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society member as well as the National Society of Leadership and Success, served on numerous NCAA Division I Committees, and was a panelist/public speaker for the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, Sports Business Journal Forum, NCAA Student Athlete Leadership Forum and NACDA Convention.
Davis, a Management major, participated in the USC Upstate Gospel Choir, was a teacher for kids aged 8-14 at Emmanuel Anglican Church, and volunteered as a basketball coach at Drayton Mills Elementary School.
Hodgson studied Sport Management at Winthrop, where she was a four-year SAAC member, including SAAC President as a senior, in addition to serving as Big South SAAC Vice Chair. She was a Faculty Advisory Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics Student-Athlete Representative at Winthrop, was involved with Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and was awarded Winthrop’s Golden Eagle Award for leadership in 2025.
Katz, who majored in Political Science, volunteered at the Rise Against Hunger event while at PC, was a member of the Honor Council and Executive Board Secretary, was President of the Political Science Club, a student Work Study Facility Assistant, and an active member of Omicron Delta Kappa Leadership Society.
Barbieri, a French major, served as a Special Olympics volunteer during her time at Presbyterian. She was also a Resident Advisor and monthly program leader, participated as a Writing Centre tutor, wrestling camp coach and fitness test facilitator at a local elementary school, and volunteered at local food banks and soup kitchens.
Edmundson, who majored in Economics, was a team captain for the Bulldogs. Her community service included time with Laundry Love, teaching and providing swim lessons for kids, and the Leaders for Leaders Program. She was also a mental health ambassador and served on Asheville’s SAAC.