Brentwood, TN – The Ohio Valley Conference announced that recent Austin Peay State University (APSU) women’s tennis graduate Fabienne Schmidt is one of the league’s two nominees for the NCAA Woman of the Year award, Friday.
The NCAA Woman of the Year award honors graduating female student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service, and leadership.
On the court, Schmidt was a part of Austin Peay State University’s undefeated regular season, OVC Regular Season Championship, and OVC Tournament Championship in 2019. She then led the Governors to a second-straight tournament title during her senior season, helping her team erase a 3-1 deficit and come from behind to beat top-seeded Southeast Missouri in the championship match.
With a career singles record of 67-17, Schmidt was named the OVC Freshman of the Year and a First Team All-OVC selection in 2017-18, before taking home Second Team All-OVC honors in 2018-19 and 2020-21. Schmidt was just as dominant in doubles play, posting a 58-17 mark in her APSU career, while partnering exclusively with Danielle Morris to go 12-2 during her senior season.
Off the court, the Hillscheid, Germany native’s brilliant academic career is highlighted by her 2019-20 OVC Scholar-Athlete Award, which is given annually to six student athletes in the conference. Schmidt is a three-time ITA Scholar-Athlete and has appeared on the Dean’s List each semester she has attended Austin Peay State University.
A three-time recipient of the OVC Academic Medal of Honor, Schmidt was also named to the OVC Commissioner’s Honor three times and was named to 2020 Arthur Ashe, Jr. Sports Scholar Teams, which were selected by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education magazine. At the time of her graduation in May, Schmidt had a perfect 4.0 grade-point average while majoring in marketing with a minor in management.
In June, Schmidt and the APSU Governors women’s tennis program earned the ITA’s Ohio Valley Region Community Service Award for the third time in her four years at Austin Peay, with the Govs taking home honorable mention recognition in the lone year they did not win the award.
Schmidt and her team achieved these honors through volunteer work at Burt Elementary, Read Across America events, Buddy Ball, the Breast Cancer Awareness Run, Rise Up Academy and working at various tennis clinics.
Schmidt will now move on to the national selection committee, which will determine 10 deserving nominees from each of the NCAA’s three divisions. The committee will then select three finalists from each division and the Committee on Women’s Athletics will determine the 2021 NCAA Woman of the Year from the nine finalists.
