Grand Canyon University Athletics
Boling nominated for NCAA award
8/16/2018 2:30:00 PM | S-A Development
Softball star represents WAC for Woman of the Year
Grand Canyon softball player Bianca Boling was selected by WAC senior administrators to represent the conference for NCAA Woman of the Year, which recognizes graduating female student-athletes for excellence in academics, athletics, community service and leadership.
Boling, a Phoenix native, earned a bachelor's degree in psychology in April, graduating with a 3.96 cumulative GPA. She will begin a doctoral program in clinical psychology at Midwestern University this fall.
"In working with Bianca as her sport administrator, she completely embodies what it means to be a student-athlete,"Â Senior Associate Athletic Director Jason Linders said. "She has always been nearly a 4.0 GPA, Honors College student, SAAC member, All-WAC on the diamond, involved both on campus and in the community, so she has been an outstanding ambassador of the GCU softball program."
A three-time Academic All-WAC honoree, Boling was named to the Google Cloud Academic All-District 8 Team as a senior and was a 2016-17 National Fastpitch Coaches Association Scholar-Athlete. She was on the GCU President's List from 2014 to 2018, earned the 2018 GCU Outstanding Senior Award, received the 2018 Honors College Distinguished Achievement Award, the 2017 Honors College Student-Athlete of the Year Award and the WAC's 2018 Stan Bates Award female winner.
"Bianca is the epitome of a student-athlete," head softball coach Ann Pierson said. "With her incredible academic and athletic accolades, she was a complete representative of the GCU softball program for four years."
Boling was the female recipient of the 2018 Roland Beck Award, the longest running and most prestigious award that GCU presents for the male and female student-athletes who demonstrate excellence in academics, athletics, leadership and character. She also received the Kevin and Greta Warren Postgraduate Scholarship, chosen by GCU Alumni and Minnesota Vikings Chief Operating Officer Kevin Warren.
"Bianca cares about people, which is why she was a member of SAAC," said Pierson. "She also spear-headed our team community service program, setting up opportunities for our team to give back. She wanted to make a difference."
Boling, who made this year's All-WAC first team, appeared in 159 career games for the Lopes, earning 121 starts. She also was named to the WAC All-Tournament Team after setting a new record for home runs in the tournament with four as she helped the Lopes reach the championship game. She was part of GCU's first team to win a regular-season championship team in 2017 and was picked to the All-WAC second team as a freshman.
The four-year member of the GCU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee logged more than 200 hours of community service during her four-year career, including serving as the community service coordinator for softball. She spearheaded the team's two-day trip to Mexico to build a house for a family in need. She also volunteered with the Children's Cancer Network, the YMCA Fall Festival, the Phoenix Children's Hospital Cancer Run, AIDS Walk Arizona and Southwest Behavioral and Health Services.
CSU Bakersfield cross country and track and field athlete Angel Valdez also was selected as a WAC representative for NCAA Woman of the Year. Valdez, a Bakersfield native, graduated magna cum laude in mathematics with a teaching concentration. She is a 10-time Academic All-WAC honoree (three times for cross country, three times for indoor track and field and four times for outdoor track and field).
Valdez and Boling were among 581 school nominees for the award, the most ever in the history of the program. They were among 154 WACÂ nominees.
The Woman of the Year selection committee will next announce the 10 honorees in each division in early September. The committee will then choose the top nine finalists (three from each division) in late September. The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics will vote from among those nine finalists to determine the NCAA Woman of the Year. The top 30 honorees will be honored and the NCAA Woman of the Year will be named at an Oct. 28 ceremony in Indianapolis.
"The other thing that stands out about Bianca is she wants to make a difference, give back, and impact people," said Linders. "She is always looking to make the world a better place and will be missed here at GCU."Â
