Forrest (Ellenwood, Georgia) registered a Louisville school-record mark of 23.26 meters (76-3.75) to claim the gold medal on the opening day of the 2021 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships with the top collegiate throw of the year. Forrest took the gold medal in the weight throw at the 2021 ACC Indoor Track and Field Championships. She was named the ACC Indoor Track and Field Scholar Athlete of the Year and ACC Women’s Field Performer of the Year. Forrest was also a 2021 ACC Postgraduate Scholar.
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In addition to this season’s success, she was the 2019 NCAA runner-up in the weight throw and an all-American in the hammer throw. She qualified for the 2020 NCAA Indoor Championships before the season was cancelled due to the spread of COVID-19. She is also a member of Louisville’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee serving as an ACC Representative and is a three-time All-ACC Academic Team selection.
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Forrest earned her bachelor’s degree in health and human performance – exercise with a minor in sport administration in May 2021.

Schneider (San Diego) has collected numerous athletic and academic honors after a career-best season in which she helped the Cardinals to their first-ever NCAA final four and the ACC regular season title. The senior defender finished her collegiate career with a 4.0 GPA while majoring in biology with a concentration in genetics subcellular and a minor in Spanish. The 2020-21 NFHCA Scholar-Athlete of the Year was also the recipient of the Elite 90 Award for the NCAA Field Hockey Championship and was a finalist for the Honda Award. Additionally, she earned CoSIDA Academic At-Large All-District honors.
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The three-year starter and team co-captain earned NFHCA All-America third team honors and is a two-time West Region selection (2019, 2020). She is a four-time NFHCA National Scholar of Distinction, a two-time All-ACC Academic Team selection and has been a member of the ACC Academic Honor Roll in each of her seasons at Louisville.Ìý
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Schneider earned her bachelor’s degree in biology, with a minor in Spanish in May 2021.
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About the NCAA Woman of the Year
Established in 1991, the NCAA Woman of the Year award has honored the academic achievements, athletics excellence, community service and leadership of outstanding female college athletes.
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Following university nominations, conference offices will then select their nominees for NCAA Woman of the Year. Each conferenceÌýnominee will be notified by the NCAA, and all conference-round nominees will be announced on ncaa.org in August.Ìý

Conference nominations are forwarded to the NCAA Woman of the Year Selection Committee, which identifies the top 10 honorees in each of the three NCAA divisions. From those 30 honorees, the selection committee then determines the three finalists in each division for a total of nine finalists.

The Committee on Women’s Athletics will select the 2021 NCAA Woman of the Year from the nine finalists. At an award ceremony Oct. 17 in Indianapolis, the Top 30 honorees will be celebrated, and the 2021 NCAA Woman of the Year will be named.

Shortly after much of the nation began staying at home in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Minrath would see her mother, a doctor, return home exhausted after working long hours at the hospital. With the cancellation of the spring season, Minrath found herself with extra time on her hands, so she decided to put her talent to work.

“My mom said never has any of my artwork to hang, because I always do some sort of specialty thing,” said Minrath. “So, I thought I would make something for her to hang up in her office.” After drawing a picture of her mom, Sam shared it on social media and it took off from there.

Former UofL field hockey teammate, Maria Gomez,Ìýreached out from Madrid, Spain with a photo of her father, a pulmonologist.Ìý

“And then I did the hands, which a lot of people liked,” Minrath said. “It was my mom’s and my hands and I felt like this represented a lot and people could connect with this piece. After that I got a ton of feedback with people asking if I could draw something for them – from all over the world, which was really cool.”

What began as a way to, perhaps work through some of her own feelings of uncertainty, and create something special for her mom, turned into an avenue to connect with other people on a broader level. Minrath has continued to honor everyday heroes, many of whom represent her own UofL field hockey teammates’ families. The artwork, which can take up to four days to complete, has brought a sense of fulfillment.Ìý

“Through this, I’ve realized that it’s not just therapy for the person who is making it, but also for so other many people around,” said Minrath. “My mom put the hand piece on her Facebook page and she got so much feedback and a lot of people reposted it. So many people said that’s exactly how they feel. One person in particular related because she had COVID and couldn’t be with her daughter.ÌýIt’s just been really, really cool. Especially during this time when we can’t always connect face-to-face, so through art, people can connect.”

Some of her artwork was showcased on the Frazier Museum website page featuring Coronavirus Capsule Photos and Artwork. Visit that pageÌý.

During the 2019 season, GoCards.com featured the Louisville native and her plans to pursue a career in art therapy. Check out the featureÌý
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