University of Minnesota Crookston tennis alum Madeleine Schneider (Gartringen, Germany) has been selected as one of the Top 30 honorees for the 2024 NCAA Woman of the Year award. Schneider is the first U of M Crookston student-athlete in program history to earn the prestigious honor as a Top 30 recipient and is the sole University of Minnesota student-athlete on the NCAA’s 2024 honoree list.
The Top 30 honorees include 10 student-athletes from each of the three NCAA divisions and Schneider is one of 10 representatives from Division II. Schneider was selected as a Top 30 finalist for the NCAA Woman of the Year out of 627 outstanding collegiate student-athletes who were nominated by their respective universities.
"Being named as a Top 30 NCAA Woman of the Year honoree is such an incredible honor," Schneider stated. "This represents not only my efforts, but also the outstanding support of my teammates, mentors and loved ones. I am grateful for this recognition and feel inspired to keep striving to make a positive impact."
Schneider is invited as a Top 30 honoree to attend the award ceremony for the 2024 NCAA Woman of the Year Wednesday, January 15 at the NCAA Convention at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, Tenn. Three finalists from each NCAA division (nine overall) will be announced prior to the convention.
Schneider is just the ninth student-athlete from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) to earn honors in the NCAA Woman of the Year ballot. Three NSIC student-athletes have gone on to be finalists which includes Elizabeth Duffy, Concordia-St. Paul, Mary Slinger, Concordia-St. Paul, and Kendall Cornick, Augustana. Cornick from Augustana is the only NSIC student-athlete to receive the NCAA Woman of the Year, which she did in 2021.
Schneider was awarded with the prestigious Willis R. Kelly Award as the top female student-athlete in the NSIC at the conclusion of the 2023-24 academic year. She graduated from the University of Minnesota Crookston in May 2024 with high distinction and with honors, with degrees in information technology management and software engineering. Schneider was the second student-athlete from U of M Crookston to earn the NSIC Kelly Award joining Angela Swanson (2001).
She was also named to the Chancellor's List several times during her undergraduate education, was a NSIC Myles Brand All-Academic Award recipient, and a repeat member of the NSIC All-Academic Team of Excellence. Schneider was an Alpha Lambda Delta National Honor Society member the last two years and a Mestenhauser Student Award for Excellence in Campus Internationalization honoree in 2023, which is a systemwide University of Minnesota award given to recognize outstanding student contributions to international education.
Schneider earned All-NSIC First Team honors for the second-consecutive season in 2024. She went 12-3 at No. 1 singles, which was the third-best winning percentage in the conference and the best among No. 1 singles players. Schneider went 9-5 at No. 2 doubles with Blaike Zander this past season. Schneider is the all-time leading singles player in U of M Crookston program history and was the first Golden Eagle tennis student-athlete to earn NSIC Player of the Week honors, a feat she accomplished four times during her career. In the community, Schneider volunteered at the annual Santa Land event dedicated towards children with games and activities during the winter holiday. She also gave her time serving meals at Harvest Church and Cathedral Church with the Multicultural International Club.
As a student-athlete, Schneider was instrumental in the growth of the Golden Eagle tennis program and helped encourage the recruitment of international student-athletes. U of M Crookston currently has six international student-athletes on their 2025 tennis roster. Schneider was one of only two international student-athletes on the roster during her inaugural tennis season in 2022.
Schneider is currently employed as a software engineer at DigiKey, a global distributor of electronic components.
About the NCAA Woman of the Year Award
The NCAA Woman of the Year is a national award honoring academic achievement, athletics excellence, community service and leadership. It is one of the highest awards given by the NCAA. The Woman of the Year award is unique in its recognition of student-athletes who are not only successful on the field and in the classroom, but also contribute to their communities and campuses. For more information about the award program and previous winners, visit ncaa.org/woty.
