CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Senior Juli Osborne has been selected as the 2015 Big South Woman of the Year as announced by the conference on Wednesday afternoon.
The Conference's Woman of the Year award is sponsored by Big South Corporate Partner Musco Sports Lighting, and Osborne will be formally recognized during the Conference's May 28 Spring Awards Dinner and Hall of Fame Banquet at The Marriott Resort in Hilton Head, S.C. The forward will now continue on as the Big South's nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year award in competition with other female athletes from around the nation.
"We are very excited to have Juli selected to represent our conference at the national level," Head Coach Wanda Watkins said. "She continues to receive accolades for what she has done both on and off the court and she is very well deserving of this honor."
The Big South's Woman of the Year Selection Committee voted Osborne the winner among the 10 candidates nominated for the award. The Committee used criteria of Service and Leadership (including community services, campus activities and leadership positions), Academic Achievement, Athletics Excellence and a Personal Statement from each candidate.
Osborne has been extremely active in the community at large during her time at Campbell, culminating in her service as the President of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee in 2014-15. The senior also served as the Big South's SAAC chair and as the Conference's national SAAC representative this year. A biology major, Osborne is a three-time honoree on the Big South Presidential Honor Roll and earned a spot on the 2014-15 Big South All-Academic Team this season.
The Kingsport, Tenn., native is a recent recipient of the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Foundation Scholarship, an honor based solely on a student's personal character, integrity and service to others and to their communities.
Osborne has been involved with Sigma Tau Delta English Honor Society and Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society, participated in an Undergraduate Research Presentation at the North Carolina Academic Symposium and has been a multiple-time Dean's List and President's List honoree at Campbell.
The senior was among the national nominees for the WBCA Allstate Good Works Team this season, as she has been involved with Relay for Life (2012-15), Operation Christmas Child (2011-14) and Service to Noah's Landing Zoo (2013-14), in addition to serving as an on-campus Peer Mentor for Freshman Seminar (2013-14), PRIDE Peer Mentor (2013-15) and an Anatomy and Physiology Tutor (2014-15).
On the court this season, Osborne posted career-high marks across the board and appeared in 28 contests while drawing 15 starts and playing just under 20 minutes per contest. The team captain played a vital role in Campbell's 64-61 win over High Point on Feb. 14, chipping in 11 points and six rebounds while connecting on seven of her eight free-throw attempts off the bench.
Osborne was recognized for her service to the Campbell community by her fellow student-athletes and the selection committee of the 2015 CAMMYs, who selected the senior as Ms. Campbell last Sunday evening. The honor is presented to one female athlete who has displayed a leadership role both on and off the playing field while also being both an advocate and a role model for their team.
"Juli has been such a joy to coach and has been a wonderful leader and difference-maker for our team," Watkins said. "We are excited to see what is in store for her after graduation and know that she will be a fantastic representative for our program and for the university as a whole in this competition."
The NCAA Woman of the Year Selection Committee will determine the top 10 and top three honorees in each division by considering specific guidelines. The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics will also use the same guidelines when selecting the 2015 award winner. All honorees receive an NCAA certificate and are included in press announcements. The top 10 honorees and the nine finalists from Divisions I, II and III will be honored and the 2015 NCAA Woman of the Year winner announced at a dinner in Indianapolis on Oct. 18, 2015. The Big South had its first national finalist in 2005 when Winthrop's Janiva Willis was named one of the 10 finalists.
