INDIANAPOLIS –
Jessie Rising is Manhattan's nominee for the prestigious NCAA Woman of the Year award. The former softball student-athlete is one of 577 nominees across the NCAA membership.
Rising was a four-year softball team member and helped the Jaspers win the 2021 MAAC Championship and make the NCAA Tournament. A MAAC All-Rookie Team selection as a freshman, Rising was the Class of 2022 Valedictorian.
Academically, Rising finished with a 4.0 GPA and was a Dean's List student for all 12 semesters at Manhattan. Rising was named CoSIDA Academic All-District this year and has been named to the Easton/NFCA Academic All-America Team. Rising received the Mendelian Medal for Excellence in Biology as a senior and was a finalist for the Gunn Medal for campus involvement and community service in 2022.
Athletically, Rising logged 282 innings in the circle for the Jaspers over her four seasons and recorded 21 wins. As a junior, Rising went 5-5 with a 3.89 ERA to help the Green & White win the MAAC Championship for the first time in two decades. En route to making the MAAC All-Rookie Team, Rising posted an 8-11 record with a 3.70 ERA in the circle. Rising finished her career as a hitter with 27 runs scored and 62 hits.
Rising was also involved in community service and honor societies. Rising was a peer academic tutor, certified nursing assistant, and crisis test hotline counselor. The Little Egg Harbor, N.J. native, was a member of the Beta Beta Beta (Biological), Alpha Epsilon Delta (Pre-Heath, Phi Beta Kappa, and the Epsilon Sigma Pi Honor Societies.
Of the 577 nominees, 248, including Rising, are from Division I. Division II has 127, and Division III has 202. The average GPA of all nominees is 3.8.
