LANCASTER, Pa. – Class of 2024 Franklin & Marshall graduate Meredith Mangum has been selected as one of the two Centennial Conference nominees for the NCAA's prestigious Woman of the Year Award. Mangum is just the third Diplomat finalist at the conference level since 2006 and the first from nominee from the volleyball team during that time period.
The Centennial Conference nominees for NCAA Woman of the Year are selected annually by the conference Senior Woman Administrators. Now in its 34th year, the Woman of the Year award recognizes graduating female college athletes for excellence in academics, athletics, community service, and leadership. A record-breaking 627 female student-athletes were nominated by NCAA member schools for consideration for the 2024 Woman of the Year award.
To be eligible, a nominee must have competed and earned a varsity letter in an NCAA-sponsored sport and must have earned her undergraduate degree by summer 2024. The NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee identifies the Top 30 – 10 from each division – and from there selects three finalists from each division. From the nine finalists, the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics then selects the NCAA Woman of the Year, who is named at the NCAA Convention.
A libero and two-year captain for the volleyball team, Mangum concluded her career as a standout performer on the court, in the classroom, and in the community for the Diplomats. In May, Mangum was named the Centennial Conference overall female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, an honor bestowed to just one female student-athlete among all CC sports. Mangum took home Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors in both her junior and senior seasons, culminating in the overall Scholar-Athlete of the Year accolade this past spring.
The Peachtree Corners, Ga. native was a two-time College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honoree, a two-time All-Centennial selection, and the 2022 CC Defensive Player of the Year. Mangum is also one of just 19 student-athletes in conference history across all sports to be named both player and scholar-athlete of the year in the same season. She wrapped up her career for the Diplomats with 1,068 digs (3.87 per set), 213 assists, and 79 service aces during three seasons on the court.
Despite having just three seasons of competition during her F&M career, Mangum graduated from the program ranked second in school history in both career service and reception percentage, while finishing fourth in digs per set. Her dig and assist totals during those seasons also rank among the top 20 players in program history. Mangum's play on the court elevated those around her as she helped the Diplomats to three consecutive Centennial Conference Tournament appearances, including a run to the championship match in 2022 and a 19-7 record during her season season which marked the team's most wins and highest winning percentage since the 2019 season.
As a joint major in business, organizations, and society and American studies with a minor in Spanish, Mangum posted a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade point average through her final semester this past spring. Mangum was also well-immersed in many aspects of life on campus and in the community. She served as a teaching assistant for F&M's Introduction to American Studies course, worked as a tutor for Quantitative Methods in the Business department, and also was part of the Junto Society, Alumni Leaders of Tomorrow, Alpha Delta Pi and the table tennis club on campus. In the Lancaster community, she volunteered with the Latin American Alliance, interviewing and writing profiles of community leaders in Spanish to learn from and share their stories. She also volunteered for F&M's Takeover the Gym Series, which introduced women and gender minorities to gym equipment and exercises.
