INDIANAPOLIS - Illinois Wesleyan University women's soccer standout Caelyn Steffens (Normal, Ill.-Normal Community) was named one of a record-breaking 619 nominees for the NCAA Woman of the Year award Thursday, July 13. 

Since 1991, The NCAA Woman of the Year program has recognized graduating female student-athletes for excellence in academics, athletics, community service, and leadership throughout their college careers.

This year's nominees represent a diverse set of well-rounded student-athletes, with 24 different sports across all three NCAA divisions. Within the nomination pool, 264 nominees competed in Division I, 128 in Division II, and 227 in Division III.

Steffens, IWU's offensive leader for the past four seasons and a three-time CCIW Offensive Player of the Year, had a stellar final season in the Green and White uniform culminating in All-American honors from D3soccer.com and United Soccer Coaches. 

The Normal, Ill. native garnered a total of 47 points, good for 21 goals and five assists on the season. Steffens' season points and goals marked an IWU-career best since she scored 26 goals and recorded 58 points in a single-season during her freshman year campaign at UW-Platteville. Steffens picked up All-CCIW First Team honors for the third time in her career. She also set a new conference record for most goals and points in a conference-only season with 15 goals and 32 points. 

The three-time captain has helped rewrite IWU's record book. Steffens holds program records in both career and single-season all-time rankings. In career rankings, the senior is first in points per game (1.88), goals per game (0.79), and shots per game (3.47). She sits fifth in both IWU's all-time career goals and points with 46 and 109, respectively. Steffens is just one of six women's soccer players to record triple digit points at the end of their Titan career, and is the most recent since Emily Hinchman notched 107 points from 2009-12. In single-season rankings, Steffens is first in points (47), points per game (2.47), goals (21), goals per game (1.11), shots on goal (49), and shots on goal per game (2.58), all set during the 2022 season.

Steffens graduated this past spring with a degree in health promotion and fitness management. 

The Woman of the Year Selection Committee, made up of representatives from the NCAA membership, will choose the top 30 honorees — 10 from each division — from the conference-level nominees. The top 30 honorees will be announced in October.

The selection committee will then determine the top three honorees in each division from the top 30, and the nine finalists will be announced in November. 

From those nine finalists, the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics will choose the 2023 NCAA Woman of the Year. The honorees will be celebrated at the Woman of the Year Award Ceremony at the NCAA Convention in Phoenix in January.