George Washington University Athletics
Chambliss & Lange Nominated for NCAA Woman of the Year
7/14/2022 2:00:00 PM | General, Softball, Gymnastics
Buff & Blue standouts have been put forward for prestigious national honor
WASHINGTON -Â Deja Chambliss (gymnastics) and Sierra Lange (softball) have been selected as GW's nominees for the 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year Award.
The pair of Buff and Blue standouts join a decorated pool of 577 candidates for the national accolade honoring the academic achievements, athletic excellence, community service work and leadership of graduating female student-athletes across all three divisions.
This winter, Chambliss shined from start to finish, becoming just the third GW gymnast to be named East Atlantic Gymnastics League Gymnast of the Year. The Chesterfield, Va., native was named conference Gymnast of the Week four times during the regular season while pacing the conference and ranking among the national leaders on vault (25th), floor (43rd) and in the all-around (34th).
Chambliss closed the season in style, winning a pair of event titles at the EAGLÂ Championship on March 19 to spark the Buff and Blue to their first conference crown since 2017 on a memorable evening at the Smith Center. Then, she capped her tremendous redshirt junior campaign with a trip to NCAA Regionals as an individual qualifier in the all-around.
Beyond the competition floor, Chambliss has been a standout in the classroom, earning WCGA Scholastic All-American honors once and All-EAGL Scholastic recognition four times. She graduated cum laude with a degree in Exercise Science before beginning work toward a master's in Health and Biomedical Data Science, and along the way, she's been a leader within the department, serving as Vice President of both the GW Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and the GW Athletics Black Student-Athlete Alliance this school year.
One of the nation's top all-around performers on the softball diamond, Lange lifted the Buff and Blue to new heights while rewriting the program record book over the course of her career, capped by a fantastic final spring in which she was named an NFCA All-American.
The Plano, Texas, native was tabbed the Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Year for the second straight season after leading the Buff and Blue to a repeat conference regular season title and a postseason berth in the National Invitational Softball Championship. She finished sixth in the nation with 27 victories, boosted by a 2.40 ERA and 223 strikeouts in 240 1/3 innings, and she also stoked her team's offense out of the leadoff spot with a .333/.431/.512 slash line, 49 runs scored, 23 RBIs, 19 extra-base hits and 19 stolen bases over 53 games.
For her work in the classroom, Lange was twice selected to the A-10 All-Academic Team and also landed academic recognition from the NFCA. She graduated in May 2021 with a degree in Organizational Sciences before starting toward her master's in Management, and she's been active serving the local community through a number of non-profit organizations, including Martha's Table and Little Friends for Peace, as well as a part-time position with the university's Honey W. Nashman Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service.
Lange is among 13 nominees from across the A-10 in its sponsored sports. The list also includes incoming graduate student swimmer Siena Senn, who was nominated by Davidson after totaling nine A-10 medals (three golds) and earning conference All-Academic honors three times over four distinguished years with the Wildcats.
The A-10's Senior Woman Administrators will vote to select the two student-athletes who will represent the conference among the national finalists. Chambliss, whose sport is not sponsored by the conference, will be considered to advance in the process from among a national pool of candidates.
The pair of Buff and Blue standouts join a decorated pool of 577 candidates for the national accolade honoring the academic achievements, athletic excellence, community service work and leadership of graduating female student-athletes across all three divisions.
This winter, Chambliss shined from start to finish, becoming just the third GW gymnast to be named East Atlantic Gymnastics League Gymnast of the Year. The Chesterfield, Va., native was named conference Gymnast of the Week four times during the regular season while pacing the conference and ranking among the national leaders on vault (25th), floor (43rd) and in the all-around (34th).
Chambliss closed the season in style, winning a pair of event titles at the EAGLÂ Championship on March 19 to spark the Buff and Blue to their first conference crown since 2017 on a memorable evening at the Smith Center. Then, she capped her tremendous redshirt junior campaign with a trip to NCAA Regionals as an individual qualifier in the all-around.
Beyond the competition floor, Chambliss has been a standout in the classroom, earning WCGA Scholastic All-American honors once and All-EAGL Scholastic recognition four times. She graduated cum laude with a degree in Exercise Science before beginning work toward a master's in Health and Biomedical Data Science, and along the way, she's been a leader within the department, serving as Vice President of both the GW Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and the GW Athletics Black Student-Athlete Alliance this school year.
One of the nation's top all-around performers on the softball diamond, Lange lifted the Buff and Blue to new heights while rewriting the program record book over the course of her career, capped by a fantastic final spring in which she was named an NFCA All-American.
The Plano, Texas, native was tabbed the Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Year for the second straight season after leading the Buff and Blue to a repeat conference regular season title and a postseason berth in the National Invitational Softball Championship. She finished sixth in the nation with 27 victories, boosted by a 2.40 ERA and 223 strikeouts in 240 1/3 innings, and she also stoked her team's offense out of the leadoff spot with a .333/.431/.512 slash line, 49 runs scored, 23 RBIs, 19 extra-base hits and 19 stolen bases over 53 games.
For her work in the classroom, Lange was twice selected to the A-10 All-Academic Team and also landed academic recognition from the NFCA. She graduated in May 2021 with a degree in Organizational Sciences before starting toward her master's in Management, and she's been active serving the local community through a number of non-profit organizations, including Martha's Table and Little Friends for Peace, as well as a part-time position with the university's Honey W. Nashman Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service.
Lange is among 13 nominees from across the A-10 in its sponsored sports. The list also includes incoming graduate student swimmer Siena Senn, who was nominated by Davidson after totaling nine A-10 medals (three golds) and earning conference All-Academic honors three times over four distinguished years with the Wildcats.
The A-10's Senior Woman Administrators will vote to select the two student-athletes who will represent the conference among the national finalists. Chambliss, whose sport is not sponsored by the conference, will be considered to advance in the process from among a national pool of candidates.
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