GRAND FORKS, N.D. – University of North Dakota women's tennis standout Sapir Sela was selected as one of the two Summit League nominees for the 2024 NCAA Woman of the Year award, as announced by conference officials on Thursday.
 
Sela joins Omaha softball student-athlete Lynsey Tucker as two of the record-breaking batch of nominees nationwide, with the number reaching 627 this year.
 
The NCAA Woman of the Year program was established in 1991 and honors the academic achievements, athletic excellence, community service and leadership of graduating female college athletes from all three divisions.
 
Sela immigrated to the United States from Israel, growing up in Boca Raton, Fla. as an adolescent. She arrived as a freshman at North Dakota in the fall of 2020 having already accrued 89 college credits.
 
Just two years later, Sela graduated with a bachelor's degree in communication with a minor in criminal justice in the spring of 2021 and earned her Juris Doctorate degree graduating Cum Laude and her Master of Business Administration degree in the spring of 2024.
 
She was twice named an International Tennis Association Academic Scholar-Athlete and a was four-time member of the Summit League's Academic Honor Roll and three-time member of the Commissioner's List of Academic Excellence.
 
On the court, Sela was a two-time All-Summit League recipient and earned the 2021 Summit League Newcomer of the Year honor. She helped UND reach the program's first Summit League Championship match in 2023 and finished her career second in school history with 117 career victories.
 
Off the court, Sela volunteered her time with Habitat for Humanity where she was a board member and spent numerous hours at building projects that included installing flooring, cleaning houses, arranging volunteers, painting, and assisting with the organization's fundraisers, which led her to receiving UND's "100-Hour of Community Service Recognition".
 
Sela also served as the citation and research editor for the North Dakota Law Review, was a legal extern for the UND Center of Innovation and the U.S. District Court (North Dakota). She was also an orientation leader for the UND Law School and spent two years as a graduate research and teaching assistant for UND's marketing department.

The Woman of the Year selection committee, which is made up of representatives from the NCAA membership, will choose the Top 30 honorees from among those nominated with 10 selections coming from each of the association's three divisions. The committee will select the 2023 NCAA Woman of the Year recipient from the Top 30 that will be announced in October.
 
For more information on North Dakota women's tennis, follow on social media @UNDwtennis or visit FightingHawks.com.