Mizzou Athletics’ Smith and Luebbert Nominated for NCAA Woman of the Year

INDIANAPOLIS – Mizzou Athletics student-athletes Amber Smith (women’s basketball) and Sarah Luebbert (soccer) have been nominated for the 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year award, announced Tuesday by the NCAA. The pair are among a record 605 collegiate athletes nominated across all three NCAA divisions.

Established in 1991, the NCAA Woman of the Year award recognizes graduating female college student-athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves in academics, athletics, service and leadership throughout their collegiate careers.

Conference offices will select up to two nominees each from their pool of member school nominees. All nominees who compete in a sport not sponsored by their school’s primary conference, as well as associate conference nominees and independent nominees, will be considered by a selection committee. Then, the Woman of the Year selection committee, made up of representatives from the NCAA membership, will choose the Top 30 honorees — 10 from each division.

From the Top 30, the Woman of the Year selection committee will determine the top three honorees in each division and announce nine finalists. The NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics then will choose the 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year, who will be named this fall.

In her senior campaign, Smith averaged 11.9 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. She became the 37th member of Mizzou’s 1,000-point club, finishing 20th with 1,299 points. She is one of 21 players in program history to record 1,000+ points and 600+ rebounds (1 of 25 with 1,000/500). Smith finished her career ranked 10th all-time in program history in 3-pointers made (126) and 3-point percentage (.356).

Smith was a two-time All-SEC Preseason selection, earning first-team honors in 2019-20 and second-team recognition in 2018-19. She also was named to the Naismith Trophy Preseason Watch List in 2019-20. In her freshman season (2016-17), Smith was named the SEC co-Freshman of the Year after averaging 5.9 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.

Luebbert was named to an All-SEC team all four years of her career, becoming only the second player in program history to earn four all-conference honors. The 2015 SEC Freshman of the Year concluded her career by being named the 2019 SEC Co-Scholar Athlete of the Year, as she carried a 3.72 GPA at the time while pursuing her degree in mathematics.

The Jefferson City, Mo., native was also a three-time United Soccer Coaches All-Region honoree, making the All-Southeast third team in 2016 and 2018, and the second team in 2019. Luebbert ended her career in the top 10 in Mizzou’s record book in goals (29, T-7th), assists (21, T-7th) and points (79, 8th).