SAINT PETER, Minn. – Recent Gustavus Adolphus College graduate Katie McCoy has been selected as a candidate for the 2024 NCAA Woman of the Year Award. McCoy, the most decorated goaltender in program history, adds the NCAA Woman of the Year nomination to a long list of accolades. She was selected by the Gustavus Athletics Department as a nominee because of her outstanding performance on the ice, her excellence in the classroom, and her contributions to the community.

McCoy will become eligible to advance in the NCAA Woman of the Year program and will be among those considered by the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference to represent the conference in the next round. MIAC nominees will be eligible to be selected for the Top 30 Woman of the Year nominees by the NCAA Woman of the Year Selection Committee. 
 

McCoy, a 5-foot-9 netminder, claimed nearly every program record available to her in her five seasons wearing the Three Crowns. She finished her career with an impressive record of 82-14-3, a 0.99 goals against average, 1,538 saves, and a 0.940 save percentage. With McCoy in net, the Gusties won four consecutive MIAC regular season and playoff championships, made four NCAA tournament appearances, and claimed the 2022-23 NCAA DIII National Championship. She became the second Gustie goaltender to claim multiple AHCA All-America honors, was named the USCHO.com Division III Goaltender of the Year, and was a three-time NCAA statistical champion. She was also named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team twice and was the 2022-23 Tournament MVP.

The Grafton, Wis. native was a finalist for the Laura Hurd Award, presented to the best player in Division III women's hockey, after cementing herself as one of DIII's best goaltenders of all-time. In her fifth and final season, McCoy set a number of records, earning her a spot in the record books for years to come. 

After a 1-0 win against St. Catherine on Jan. 27, McCoy became the all-time leader in career shutouts at the NCAA Division III level with 32 to her name. She added three more after that game to graduate with 35. A couple weeks later, McCoy and the Gusties claimed their 19th MIAC Regular Season Championship with a 6-0 win over Concordia, marking her 78th career win between the pipes, the most in NCAA Division III women's hockey history. She added four more to finish her career as the winningest goaltender in Division III history.

The Gusties posted the country's premier defense with McCoy as their starter, leading the nation in shutouts in three seasons. McCoy made her mark on the MIAC after earning conference All-Rookie honors in her first year, two All-MIAC selections, a MIAC All-Conference honorable mention nod, and an All-Playoff honor. She wrapped up conference play first in career wins, career shutouts, single season MIAC wins (a feat she accomplished twice), and third in career save percentage. She led the conference in shutouts, save percentage, goals against average, and wins in all three of her final seasons and was a MIAC Athlete of the Week seven times.

Off the ice, McCoy was a model student, graduating with a cumulative GPA of 3.73 with a major in public accounting and a minor in statistics. McCoy was named College Sports Communicators Academic All-District twice, earned MIAC Academic All-Conference distinction twice, and was named to the Gustavus Presidents' List twice. She was a member of the Gustavus Accounting Club and also received AHCA Krampade All-American Scholar honors.

In the community, McCoy worked as a volunteer for the Para Ice Hockey Women's World Challenge, spending time with international para ice hockey players from all countries and backgrounds and ensuring they had a memorable tournament experience. McCoy served as a Hall Council Vice President on campus, and held a number of jobs during her collegiate career, including a two-year accounting internship with Clifton Larson Allen.

McCoy follows in the footsteps of fellow Gustie greats Melissa Mackley (2010) and Sarah Garrison Moe (2002), who were also nominated for the prestigious NCAA Woman of the Year Award. Both finished as Top 10 finalists. Last year, track & field's Birgen Nelson was selected as the MIAC's NCAA WOTY nominee, and finished as a Top 10 DIII finalist for the award.

Following the announcements of conference nominees, the NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee, made up of representatives from the NCAA membership, will choose the Top 30 honorees – 10 from each division. The selection committee will determine the top three honorees in each division from the Top 30, and the nine finalists will be announced in November. From those nine finalists, the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics will announce the 2024 NCAA Woman of the Year at the NCAA Convention.