Newswise — Bethesda, MD (Oct. 2, 2018) – The NCAA today announced its Top 9 Woman of the Year honorees and Air Force 2nd Lt. Sidney Peters, the four-time Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) Scholar-Athlete, WCHA All-Academic, Academic All-Big Ten honoree, and 2018 Hockey Humanitarian Award recipient, is among those named. 

Peters was among an initial 581 school nominees for the NCAA award.  That number was culled to 154, and narrowed to the Top 30 in early September.  The NCAA Woman of the Year will be named Oct. 28 in a ceremony in Indianapolis where the Top 30 nominees will be honored, including Peters, for “demonstrated excellence in academics, athletics, community service and leadership.” 

Peters, who began her studies as a first-year military medical student at the F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine – “America’s Medical School” -- at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in August, was a four-year letter winner as goalie for the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers women’s hockey team.  She completed her career with a record of 53-17-6, ranking 5th in all time wins, shutouts, goals against average, and total saves, for the Gophers, and sixth in save percentage.  She also played as on the USA Hockey Women’s Under-18 team, and won two silver medals at International Ice Hockey Federation U-18 Women’s World Championships.  In 2017, Peters received the Big Ten’s Distinguished Scholar Award, and earlier this year she received the Minnesota’s Big Ten Conference Outstanding Sportsmanship Award. 

In addition to her achievements on the ice, Peters’ devoted more than 850 hours over five years volunteering as an emergency medical technician, and with UMN’s Maroon and Gold Impacting the Community (MAGIC) student-athlete development program, which included community outreach to elementary schools and the university children's hospital, working with external organizations like the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Salvation Army, and Special Olympics.  She was also actively involved in coaching youth women’s hockey teams.  Peters’ experiences as a volunteer at the Hospital Bernard Mevs in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, further fostered her desire to help others and eventually led to her decision to pursue medical school at USU. 

“We are thrilled by this news,” said Dr. Art Kellermann, dean of the Hebert School of Medicine.  “2nd Lt. Peters exemplifies the qualities we seek in USU students.  She is dedicated to serving others, a high-achiever in every respect, and just as important, a team player.”

“I feel very honored to have been named one of the nine finalists for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award. There are so many incredible people in every sport and division, and the organization works very hard to support student athletes in their academic and athletic pursuits,” said Peters.  “I want to congratulate the other finalists, and say ‘thank you’ to all of the individuals who helped me to succeed and grow during my undergraduate career.”

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The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU), founded by an act of Congress in 1972, is the academic heart of the Military Health System. USU students are primarily active-duty uniformed officers in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Public Health Service who receive specialized education in tropical and infectious diseases, TBI and PTSD, disaster response and humanitarian assistance, global health, and acute trauma care. A large percentage of the university’s more than 8,000 alumni are supporting operations around the world, offering their leadership and experience. The university’s research program covers a wide range of clinical and basic science important to both the military and public health.  For more information, visit www.usuhs.edu.