Bobcat Soccer alumna Kate Richardson tabbed PBC nominee for Woman of the Year

By: Bailey Clark, Sports Information graduate assistant 

INDIANAPOLIS – Georgia College & State University soccer standout keeper Kate Richardson of Marietta, Georgia, was selected by the Peach Belt Conference as one of the league's two representatives for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award. 

“We are thrilled that Kate is representing GCSU and the PBC as a candidate for NCAA Woman of the Year,” said Director of Athletics Wendell Staton. “As a student-athlete, Kate has been everything you would want and more. While she is outstanding as a student and soccer player, Kate is a better person. She personifies what we want in college athletics. A life of success awaits her as she has a wonderful combination of talent, hard work and integrity. We are so proud of her and so pleased she allowed GCSU to be part of her growth for her collegiate experience and look forward to the great things that will be happening ahead.”

The NCAA Woman of the Year Award honors graduating student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, community service and leadership.

Richardson was phenomenal in her time as a Bobcat making a name for herself as one of the top goalkeepers in history. She holds the third overall record for saves, shutouts and wins. At the conference level, she picked up a second team all-conference bid and was named goalkeeper of the week almost 10 times. Richardson also showed what it meant to be a student-athlete graduating from GCSU with a degree in marketing as the valedictorian with a 4.0 cumulative GPA. Over the course of her career she picked up multiple CSC, PBC and D2ADA academic honors.

“It’s another fantastic achievement for Kate, who deservedly keeps racking up the accolades,” said Head Coach Jack Marchant. “She was not only a fantastic part of the team here, but a great part of the community in Milledgeville and the school of business. She is deserving of all the recognition she is receiving.”

Richardson is the second member of Bobcat Soccer and the fourth in school history. Mary Rob Plunkett, former goalkeeper, received the honor in 2011. Macy Polk of Bobcat Women’s Tennis received the nod in 2017 and Shanteona Keys from Women’s Basketball was nominated in 2015.

In her time at GCSU, Richardson made her name known around campus and the community. She spent time at Georgia Military College down the road as a goalkeeper coach. She also served as an assistant coach for the Old Capital Soccer League youth team. On campus, Richardson was well known as she served as the Honors College director of intramural activities and was a member of the Marketing, Management and Logistics Student Advisory Board. Richardson was also a member of the Dean's Student Advisory Board and mentored incoming honors college freshmen.

“It truly is a surreal feeling to have been selected as the representative from the Conference for the NCAA’s Women of the Year Award,” said Richardson. “To have even been recognized as one of the candidates for the PBC to select is an achievement, especially among all the great female athletes that compete in the Peach Belt. As a freshman, I set extremely high goals for myself in regard to my education and athletic career. This nomination makes me think I might have reached or even surpassed the goals I had set for myself. Obviously none of this would have been possible without my supportive family, amazing teammates, great coaches and GCSU as a whole. I look forward to the NCAA’s decision and want to congratulate all other nominees.” 

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 as the NCAA Woman of the Year winner announced at a dinner in Indianapolis in October.

Owning the top Academic Success Rate among public schools in Division II in back to back academic years, the Georgia College Department of Athletics sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. GCSU Athletics has won three-straight Presidents' Awards for Academic Excellence, and are two-time winners of the PBC Commissioner's Cup and three-time winners of the PBC Institution of the Year Sportsmanship Award. As a Division II program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the teams' continued appearances in post-season competition, as well as high-level academic success and community-service involvement. Bobcat Athletics embodies the mantra of "Graduating Champions for Life." Sign up at @GCSUBobcats on all social media outlets for up-to-the-minute reports.