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Mandi Bäck is the University of Dayton's NCAA Woman of the Year |
DAYTON, Ohio – Flyer women’s soccer player Mandi Bäck has been named the University of Dayton’s NCAA Woman of the Year. Bäck, a native of North Olmsted, Ohio, is one of the most decorated players in UD women’s soccer history. She is the first Flyer to be named an NSCAA First Team All-American and in 2009 led the Flyers to their first NCAA Tournament since 2004.
Bäck, who captained the Flyers to the school’s first-ever unbeaten regular season, and a 16-1-6 overall record, led Dayton in scoring for four consecutive seasons. She tallied eight goals and nine assists in her senior campaign; helping UD claim the 2009 A-10 regular season and tournament championships. She then put away the deciding penalty kick in a shootout against Marquette that sent Dayton to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Bäck scored 37 career goals, fourth all-time at UD and had 90 points, fifth all-time at Dayton. She also had 12 game-winning goals during her four-year tenure with the Flyers. She finished her career as a four-time First Team All-Atlantic 10 selection.
She was the 2007 Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Year, the 2008 Ohio Player of the Year and was named to the A-10 All-Championship team three times (2006, 2008 & 2009).
Even after dedicating many hours to practices, training, traveling to and playing in matches, and maintaining a solid GPA, Bäck also found time to volunteer in the Dayton community. She ran a summer camp for over 360 inner city YMCA children in 2009, stressing the importance of physical activity. That same summer she assisted in organizing, planning, and running an Olympics for more than 600 inner city YMCA children. For the past four seasons she participated in Christmas on Campus, adopting a child from the Boys and Girls Club for the holidays. Bäck volunteered at the Dayton Flyer soccer camps for three years. For her UD Adaptive Physical Education project, she worked with a seven-year-old girl who has Down syndrome to adapt exercise programs that would meet her special needs.
Bäck graduated from Dayton in May 2010 with her degree in exercise science and fitness management. She is currently playing for the Boston Aztecs, the reserve team of the Boston Breakers of Women's Professional Soccer.
As UD’s NCAA Woman of the Year, Bäck is automatically nominated to become the Atlantic 10 Conference’s NCAA Woman of the Year. The winner from each NCAA conference will then be submitted to the NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee where they will determine the top three women in each division. From that group of semifinalists, they select the overall winner, the NCAA Woman of the Year. The program is in its 20th year.
