SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – North Dakota’s Kenna Curry and St. Thomas’s Jade Hill were selected as the Summit League's nominees for the 2025 NCAA Woman of the Year award, League officials announced Thursday.
The NCAA Woman of the Year program was established in 1991 and honors the academic achievements, athletic excellence, community service and leadership of graduating female college athletes from all three divisions.
The Woman of the Year selection committee, which is made up of representatives from the NCAA membership, will choose the Top 30 honorees from among those nominated with 10 selections coming from each of the association's three divisions. The committee will select the 2025 NCAA Woman of the Year recipient from the Top 30 that will be announced in October.
Curry, an Elk Point, S.D., native, understood the importance of discipline, resilience, hard-work, and support from a young age. Curry brought that mindset and skills to the collegiate level as she welcomed new challenges and opportunities during her freshman year at North Dakota.
Fast forward three years, Curry is now a college graduate with Cum Laude honors from UND. She earned a bachelor’s degree in communication sciences & disorders, accompanied by a minor in psychology and certificate in special education.
Curry is a three-time member of the Summit League Commissioner’s List of Academic Excellence, a five-time honoree of Summit League Academic Honor Roll, and four-time selection to the University of North Dakota Dean’s List. The academic accolades do not stop there as she was twice named to the Indoor Track & Field USTFCCCA All-Academic Team (2023, 2024) and once picked to the Outdoor Track & Field USTFCCCA All-Academic Team (2023).
On the track, Curry was an NCAA Outdoor Track & Field First Team All-American (2025), a two-time NCAA Indoor Track & Field Second Team All-American (2024, 2025), twice selected as Summit League Indoor Field Athlete of the Year (2024, 2025), twice selected as the Summit League Indoor Track & Field Championship MVP (2024, 2025), a three-time member of the Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field All-Summit League Team (2023, 2024, 2025), a one-time recipient of the Summit League Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year (2025), and the Summit League Outdoor Field Championship MVP (2025).
Curry also won six different Summit League event championships during her career, including two at the 2025 Summit League Indoor Championship (shot put, weight throw), the weight throw at the 2024 Summit League Indoor Championship, two more at the 2025 Summit League Outdoor Championship (shot put, hammer throw), and the shot put at the 2023 Summit League Outdoor Championship.
Off the track, Curry has most recently volunteered her time with the National Student Speech Language and Hearing Association, where she attended monthly meetings to discuss how to impact the future of speech language pathology. Amongst other activities, she also volunteered her time with the likes of National Girls & Women in Sports Day (participated in fellowship/empowerment event), Blue Zones Project and Safe Kids (walked children to school safely on Walk to School Day), and the Special Olympics of North Dakota (volunteered at bowling practice and track & field practice).
Since stepping foot on St. Thomas’s campus, Hill has possessed a hard-working attitude and passion to learn which has led to individual and team success. That consistent attitude has propelled Hill, who began her collegiate basketball career in the winter of 2021, to graduate this past spring with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a 3.82 GPA.
Across Hill’s career, she was a three-time selection to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team (2022-2023, 2023-2024, 2024-2025) and a University of St. Thomas Honor Roll member every semester during her time with the Tommies.
On the court, she earned a Summit League Honorable Mention nod as a senior. As a junior, Hill collected Summit League Second Team All-Conference (2023-24) accolades while also being named to the 2021-22 Summit League All-Newcomer Team as a freshman. In her time at St. Thomas, Hill became the program’s all-time assists leader while also scoring more than a 1,000 career points.
During her senior campaign, Hill recorded a career-high 14.3 ppg and career-high 4.6 apg, which led to her Summit League Honorable Mention nod. Hill closed her collegiate career averaging 13.1 ppg (1,558 total points) and 4.0 apg (474 total assists). Hill was also a threat on the defensive side of the ball, recording 183 career steals. She departs St. Thomas with a load of experience as she averaged 34.1 minutes per game over the course of her career.
The Minneapolis, Minn., native volunteered with a variety of different organizations during her four years on the Tommies’ campus. Hill spent many hours a week in the elementary school system serving as a mentor and teacher’s aide in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, while also associating with the tutor-mentor program at Maxfield Elementary School where she gained valuable field experience. Hill also volunteered a large chunk of her time to organizations such as the Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Presbyterian Homes, and Feed My Starving Children events.
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