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RICHARDSON, Texas –– East Texas Baptist senior softball student-athlete Ashton Brey – a national champion and academic all-American – has been selected as the American Southwest Conference’s nominee for the 2012 NCAA Woman of the Year ballot, the league office announced Tuesday (June 12) following a vote of the conference Senior Woman Administrators.

Brey (Lindale, Texas / LHS) will join nominees from Division I, II and III conferences on the NCAA Woman of the Year (WOTY) ballot. In its 22nd year, the WOTY award honors graduating student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership. The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics manages the nomination and selection process.

Brey, who graduated in May with a mass communication degree and minor in Spanish, was a three-year letter-winner for East Texas Baptist. Over that time, she won a NCAA Division III national championship (2010), a conference title (2011) and an ASC East Division crown (2011). Playing outfield and pitching, she was an all-region, all-conference and all-tournament performer. The team captain was also a multiple-time conference player of the week.

“Ultimately, I owe all of my successes to the way I was raised and to the opportunities that God has provided me,” Brey said. “My parents have always encouraged me to do the best I can in all things, and I have consistently worked toward achieving that standard.”

Added East Texas Baptist fifth-year softball head coach Janae Schlabs-Shirley: “We have been so honored to have Ashton be a part of our program. She is every coach’s dream player. She works hard, very coachable, a great leader on and off the field, and high academic achiever. She has been a great role model for our younger student-athletes on campus. Her abilities and leadership will be greatly missed, but we are excited for the future that this bright young lady has ahead of her and proud to call her one of our own.”

Speaking of the academics, Brey boasted a 4.0 grade-point average and twice appeared on the Capital One Academic All-America Division III Softball Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). She was a first-team selection this year.

“Academically, my mindset has been that I will not accept a ‘B,’ because that would be less than my best effort,” Brey said. “Similarly, I have applied this approach to everything else I do, including softball, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Sigma Delta Pi Hispanic National Honor Society and other responsibilities.”

Brey, who served as secretary on the leadership teams for FCA and Sigma Delta Pi, logged many volunteer hours in the Marshall, Texas, community, including neighborhood clean-ups. She also taught night classes for children at church, helped out with softball camps and assisted in raising money for “StrikeOut Cancer.”

“Over time, the repetition of my parents’ advice (‘do your best’) has made my drive for success less of a conscious effort and more of an automatic response, but this would not have been possible without participation in service, academics, athletics, and campus life,” added Brey. “Without the diverse opportunities I have had to practice the mindset of giving my best effort, I would definitely not be the person that I am today.”

Brey was also East Texas Baptist’s pick for the ASC Scholar Athlete Medal of Honor, given annually to a member of the graduating class who has compiled the most outstanding record in academics, athletics and leadership over their collegiate career. She is currently pursuing a Masters of Education degree with teacher certification from ETBU.

The Woman of the Year selection committee will choose in August the top 10 winners in Divisions I, II and III. From among those 30 honorees, the committee will determine in September the top three in each division with the 2012 NCAA WOTY honoree chosen from the final nine candidates. The top 10 division winners, nine finalists and award recipient will be honored in October at the Woman of the Year Award celebration in Indianapolis.

NOTES: Brey is the first student-athlete from East Texas Baptist to be selected as the ASC’s representative on the NCAA Woman of the Year ballot and is also the first softball player from the league to be honored. . . . Five ASC institutions submitted nominees for consideration this year. In addition to Brey, the field included Hardin-Simmons University’s Rebecca Roth (soccer); University of Texas at Tyler’s Melissa Thomas (basketball); and University of the Ozarks’ Sabrina Goddard (basketball). . . . Former Hardin-Simmons volleyball student-athlete standouts Kaela Parnell (2010) and Virginia Aguilar (2007) were finalists for NCAA WOTY.

ASC’s All-Time Nominees for NCAA Women of the Year

2012             Ashton Brey, East Texas Baptist University (Softball)

2011             Amy Kuykendall, Hardin-Simmons University (Soccer)

2010             Kaela Parnell, Hardin-Simmons University (Volleyball)

2009             Ashley Huston, Hardin-Simmons University (Track and Field)

2008             Michelle Heckmann, Concordia University Texas (Volleyball)

                    Tarra Richardson, McMurry University (Basketball)

2007             Virginia Aguilar, Hardin-Simmons University (Volleyball)

2006             April Johnson, Hardin-Simmons University (Soccer)