The NCAA Honors Committee has selected 10 recent student-athletes as the Today's Top 10 awardees, recognizing their outstanding achievements as athletes, students and contributors to their campuses and communities.
The 2023 NCAA Today's Top 10 awardees are Sylvie Binder, Columbia; Jaeda Daniel, NC State; Brooke Forde, Stanford; Naomi Girma, Stanford; Gianna Glatz, Rutgers; Blaine Hawkins, Central (Iowa); Jessica Meakim, West Chester; Jack Mulvihill, St. John Fisher; Juan Ortiz Couder, Embry-Riddle (Florida); and Abby Steiner, Kentucky.
The awardees each have completed their undergraduate studies and their athletics eligibility and are pursuing successful futures.
The NCAA Honors Committee is composed of nationally distinguished citizens and dedicated representatives from NCAA member schools and conferences, including past awardees.
The Today's Top 10 awardees will be honored at the Honors Celebration on Jan. 11 during the NCAA Convention in San Antonio.
Learn more about each of the Today's Top 10 awardees:
Sylvie Binder
School: Columbia University-Barnard College
Sport: Fencing
Major: American studies, with a special concentration in sustainable development
Sylvie Binder was the National Collegiate fencing champion in foil and helped Columbia earn a national team title in 2019. The three-time U.S. Fencing Coaches Association first-team All-American finished third at the 2022 and 2018 national championships and contributed to third-place (2022) and second-place (2018) team finishes. Binder was the Ivy League women's foil champion and Ivy League Foilist of the Year in 2019 and 2018. She also has represented the United States in international competition, earning a team gold medal at the Junior World Championship in 2018 and silvers in 2017 and 2016. In 2022, she received College Sports Communicators Academic All-America At-Large third-team honors. At Columbia, Binder was named a senior marshal and received the Columbia Spirit Award, given to those who contribute to national recognition for sports, performance, cultural and arts activities, and academics. The 2019-20 team captain was a three-year member of the Columbia Outdoor Orientation Program for incoming freshmen. She also has served as volunteer climate smart community coordinator and lead of the sustainability committee for the town of Rye, New York, since 2021.
Watch Sylvie's video from the 2023 NCAA Convention here.
Jaeda Daniel
School: North Carolina State University
Sport: Tennis
Major: Psychology
Jaeda Daniel was the 2022 Division I doubles national champion, claiming the first national title for the NC State women's tennis program. She earned Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-America honors in singles and doubles in 2022, ranking first in the nation in doubles and as high as eighth in singles during the season, and was an ITA All-American in doubles in 2021. The 2022 first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection received the 2022 ITA Most Improved Senior Award and NC State's H.C. Kennett Award, the highest athletic honor for a student-athlete. A summa cum laude graduate, Daniel was a four-time ITA Scholar-Athlete, earning the honor three times at NC State and once at Auburn. She also was a nominee for the 2021 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Award. In 2021, she was inducted into Chi Alpha Sigma, a national honor society that recognizes student-athletes for their success in the classroom and athletics. She served as communications chair for the campus Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and as the Atlantic Coast SAAC representative. Daniel was a leader in Pack United, a student-athlete-led group dedicated to providing awareness, education and action on social issues. She served as vice chair of the group and chair of its fundraising committee. She also volunteered with the Boys and Girls Clubs in Raleigh, North Carolina, and mentored local middle school students of color.
Watch Jaeda's video from the 2023 NCAA Convention here.
Brooke Forde
School: Stanford University
Sport: Swimming and diving
Major: Human biology
Five-time individual national champion Brooke Forde was a member of two NCAA championship teams (2019, 2018) and was a 19-time College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America All-American, including 18 first-team honors. A six-time Pac-12 champion, she ranks second all-time at Stanford in the 500-yard freestyle. Forde has represented the U.S. in international competition, winning a silver medal in the 800-meter free relay at the 2020 Olympic Games and competing in the 400-meter individual medley at the 2019 FINA World Championships. She was the 2021 College Sports Communicators Academic All-America NCAA Division I At-Large Team Member of the Year and earned first-team recognitions in 2020 and 2022. Forde was named 2021 Pac-12 Women's Swimming and Diving Scholar-Athlete of the Year. She was the co-president of the Stanford Student-Athlete Sustainability Committee and created the Pac-12 Sustainability Committee. She also assisted in creating a sustainability in athletics course at Stanford that has been recognized by the United Nations. Forde received Stanford's 2022 James Lyons Award for Service, recognizing her commitment to environmental sustainability efforts and her volunteer work with the Special Olympics. In 2022, she accepted a two-year assignment with the Peace Corps as a public health officer in rural Peru.
Watch Brooke's video from the 2023 NCAA Convention here.
Naomi Girma
School: Stanford University
Sport: Soccer
Major: Symbolic systems
Naomi Girma was a member of Stanford's 2019 national championship team and a two-time first-team United Soccer Coaches All-American. In 2019, Girma was selected NCAA Women's College Cup Most Outstanding Defensive Player and named to the all-tournament team. The 2019 ESPNW All-American was twice named to the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I Women's All-Pacific Region first team and was a two-time United Soccer Coaches MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalist. A member of the Pac-12 champion team in 2019 and 2018, she earned both the Pac-12 Defender of the Year and All-Pac-12 first-team selections in 2021 and 2019. Girma was called to the U.S. Women's National Team camp in 2020 and was named the U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year. She was selected first overall in the 2022 National Women's Soccer League draft by the San Diego Wave, and she was named the NWSL Rookie of the Year and the NWSL Defender of the Year after her first season. In 2021, Girma was named a first-team College Sports Communicators Academic All-American, a first-team United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-American and the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The three-year team captain was a member of the campus Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. She volunteered with Soccer Without Borders, and she has helped introduce soccer to the Ethiopian community in San Jose, California, through the Maleda Soccer Club.
Watch Naomi's video from the 2023 NCAA Convention here.
Gianna Glatz
School: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick
Sport: Field hockey
Major: Psychology
Gianna Glatz earned first-team National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division I All-America honors in spring and fall 2021, following third-team recognition in 2019. The 2020-21 NFHCA Mid-Atlantic Player of the Year was a three-time NFHCA Mid-Atlantic All-Region first-team selection. She was a member of the 2021 Big Ten championship team and earned the 2021 Big Ten Co-Player of the Year award, four All-Big Ten first-team recognitions and two Big Ten all-tournament team selections. In 2021, she was named the Eastern College Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year and first-team All-ECAC. Glatz was the 2022 Rutgers Athletics Senior of the Year, received the 2021 Rutgers Athletics Headley-Singer Award and was Rutgers's female recipient of the 2021 Big Ten Medal of Honor. Glatz competed for the U.S. internationally, including earning bronze at the 2021 Junior Pan American Championships. The 2021 NFHCA National Scholar-Athlete of the Year was a four-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and the recipient of the 2022 Wayne Duke postgraduate scholarship by the Big Ten. She was inducted into Chi Alpha Sigma, a national honor society that recognizes student-athletes for their success in the classroom and athletics. The team captain was a three-year member of the campus Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, serving as 2021-22 president. Glatz volunteered with Rutgers athletics as a R Fund ambassador and with Soles4Souls, attending service trips to Jamaica and the Navajo Nation.
Watch Gianna's video from the 2023 NCAA Convention here.
Blaine Hawkins
School: Central College (Iowa)
Sport: Football
Majors: Business management; economics
Blaine Hawkins was the 2021 Gagliardi Trophy winner, recognizing the NCAA's top Division III football player. In 2021, Hawkins also was named the D3football.com Offensive Player of the Year and was selected to the American Football Coaches Association Division III All-America first team, the Associated Press Division III All-America first team and the D3football.com All-America first team. He received D3football.com all-region recognition in 2021 and 2019. The two-time American Rivers Conference Offensive Player of the Year received first-team American Rivers honors in 2021, 2019 and 2018. Hawkins holds the records across all three NCAA divisions for the most touchdown passes in one season, with 63 passes in 2021, and for points responsible for in a season, with 410 in 2021. He holds NCAA Division III records for the most touchdown passes thrown in one half, at seven passes, and touchdowns responsible for in a career, with 178. A 2021 second-team College Sports Communicators Academic All-American, Hawkins was named a College Sports Communicators Academic All-District 8 first-team selection in 2021 and 2020. The two-year team co-captain was a representative on the campus Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and the Student Senate. He served as an assistant coach for a third-grade basketball team and volunteered annually to complete landscaping projects on Central Service Day.
Watch Blaine's video from the 2023 NCAA Convention here.
Jessica Meakim
School: West Chester University of Pennsylvania
Sport: Gymnastics
Majors: Business management; international business
Jessica Meakim was a nine-time USA Gymnastics All-American, with seven first-team honors and two second-team honors. She was also a two-time first-team Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association All-American for the regular season. The 2022 WCGA Division II Region 7 Athlete of the Year earned three All-Gymnastics East Conference honors in 2022 and six All-Eastern College Athletic Conference honors from 2018-2020. She also was awarded the inaugural 2022 GEC Woman of the Year and 2022 Mari-Rae Sopper Award from USA Gymnastics for her perseverance, passion and dedication to the sport of gymnastics. Meakim was named a first-team College Sports Communicators Academic All-American in 2022 and 2020. The summa cum laude graduate was named the ECAC Division II Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2020 and 2019. At West Chester, she received the 2022 WCU Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, the 2020 WCU Leader Award, 2020 West Chester University 1871 Award and 2019 Madeleine Wing Adler Emerging Leader Award. Meakim is a co-founder of Rams Let's Talk and the Rams Let's Walk 5K, created to support student-athlete mental health at West Chester, and she has helped raise over $18,000 through partnerships with local mental health organizations. She was the president of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and volunteered with Unite for Her, a nonprofit aimed at helping those with breast and ovarian cancer.
Watch Jessica's video from the 2023 NCAA Convention here.
Jack Mulvihill
School: St. John Fisher University
Sport: Lacrosse
Major: Biology
Jack Mulvihill was a three-time United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association All-American, with a first-team selection in 2022 following second-team honors in 2021 and honorable mention recognition in 2019. He was a second-team USILA Preseason All-American in 2022, a third-team preseason selection in 2021 and an honorable mention Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-American in 2020. Mulvihill was named first-team All-Empire 8 in 2022, 2021 and 2019 and was named to the Empire 8 all-tournament team in 2022 and 2021. He was recognized on the 2022 College Sports Communicators Academic All-America At-Large second team, following third-team recognition in 2021. He was selected to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District At-Large first team in 2022 and 2021. In 2022, Mulvihill was named a USILA Scholar All-American. The team co-captain was co-chair of St. John Fisher's campus Student-Athlete Advisory Committee from 2019-2021. He also served on the Empire 8 SAAC and was the conference's representative on the NCAA Division III SAAC from 2020-2022. Mulvihill was a SAAC representative on the Division III Management Council, discussing issues important to Division III student-athletes with college presidents, athletics directors and various community leaders.
Watch Jack's video from the 2023 NCAA Convention here.
Juan Ortiz Couder
School: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Florida)
Sport: Tennis
Major: Software engineering
Juan Ortiz Couder was the 2022 Intercollegiate Tennis Association Senior Player of the Year and a two-time ITA All-American in 2022 and 2017. He was named the 2022 ITA South Regional Senior Player of the Year and was an ITA South Region doubles champion in 2018. Ortiz Couder was selected as the 2021-22 Sunshine State Conference Men's Tennis Athlete of the Year, and he earned four All-Sunshine State recognitions in singles and doubles from 2018 to 2022. In his last season, he ranked fifth nationally in singles and 11th nationally in doubles. The 2022 and 2020 first-team and 2021 second-team College Sports Communicators Academic All-American was the 2022 Sunshine State Conference Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year and received multiple Division II Athletics Directors Association Academic Achievement Awards. He earned the Embry-Riddle Eagles of Excellence Scholarship from 2018 through 2022, and he was named the 2021 Outstanding Graduate Student of the Year in Software Engineering and the 2019 Outstanding Undergraduate Student of the Year in Software Engineering. The team captain was a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee at Embry-Riddle and represented his school on the Sunshine State SAAC in 2017-18. He volunteered with the Florida Tennis Center and with hurricane cleanup for hurricanes Matthew and Irma.
Watch Juan's video from the 2023 NCAA Convention here.
Abby Steiner
School: University of Kentucky
Sports: Indoor and outdoor track and field
Major: Kinesiology
Abby Steiner was a three-time NCAA Division I individual national champion and a member of the 2022 NCAA outdoor 4x400-meter relay championship team. She was the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association 2022 Women's Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year and Indoor Track Athlete of the Year, and she earned 18 USTFCCCA All-America recognitions, including 11 first-team honors. She also won the 2022 Honda Sport Award and The Bowerman as the national collegiate track and field athlete of the year. She holds the American record for the indoor 200 with the second-fastest time in world history at 22.09 seconds. She also holds collegiate records in the outdoor 200 (21.80) and the indoor 300 (35.80) and was part of the collegiate record 4x400 relay team. Steiner won the 200 at the 2022 USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships and was a member of the 4x400 and 4x100 relay teams that won gold for the U.S. at the World Athletics Championships. A summa cum laude graduate, she was the 2022 Southeastern Conference Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year and a second-team College Sports Communicators Academic All-American in 2021. Steiner volunteered with God's Pantry, preparing lunches for children. She also interned with Kentucky BioMotion Research Lab, assisting with research on how movement and muscle dysfunction affect pain and function within orthopedic patients.
Watch Abby's video from the 2023 NCAA Convention here.
