Copeland and Tapia Will Represent UW For Prestigious Honor

Former Wyoming Cowgirls Reed Copeland and Clara Tapia have been nominated for the 2019 NCAA Woman of the Year honor.

Copeland concluded her Wyoming volleyball career in the fall of 2018. She ranks among the top 10 in several statistical categories in school history, including No. 2 in career total blocks with 658. During her senior season, Copeland set career highs in kills, attacks, blocks, and points. She helped the Cowgirls to an overall record of 78-45 during her career. UW was 48-24 in the Mountain West Conference during the same span. Copeland was also part of two post-season appearances in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship. Those took place in 2017 and 2018.

Tapia helped the Wyoming Cowgirls to 25 wins and their first-ever appearance in the Mountain West Championship game during the 2018-19 season. She was part of a team that won 20 or more games in each of her three seasons. Tapia averaged 3.9 points, 3.1 assists, and two rebounds per game last season. Her 2.5 assist-to-turnover ratio was No. 2 in the MW and ranked 23rd in the nation. Tapia is No. 5 all-time in Cowgirl basketball history with 394 career assists in just three seasons.

Off the court, Tapia is a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American. She is the only Cowgirl basketball player with two such honors in the history of the program. Tapia had a 4.0 GPA in molecular biology and chemistry. She was a finalist for an award for Wyoming’s top undergraduate student.

The Mountain West Conference will select its two finalists prior to the NCAA Woman of the Year committee choosing its Top 30 honorees, 10 from each division. The nine finalists, three from each division, will be announced in September. The NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics will then choose its 2019 NCAA Woman of the Year. A celebration of the Top 30 honorees and the announcement of the 2019 NCAA Woman of the Year will take place during an award ceremony Oct. 20, 2019, in Indianapolis.

There are a total of 585 nominees across NCAA Divisions I, II, and III that are vying for this distinguished award.