Molly Evans ’11 Recognized as NCAA Woman of the Year Finalist
(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) – Former Carnegie Mellon swimming standout Molly Evans was one of 30 women honored on Sunday, October 16 at the NCAA Woman of the Year Dinner. Evans, who graduated in May with a 4.0 GPA in biology, was one of 10 women from Division III to receive the prestigious recognition. She is the first Carnegie Mellon student-athlete to be honored as a finalist.
The most decorated swimmer in Carnegie Mellon history, Evans set or reset 28 school records during her time with the Tartans. Evans reached the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships in each of her four years at Carnegie Mellon, earning three All-America honors and eight Honorable Mention All-America accolades during her career. She was a three-time UAA champion and earned 23 all-UAA honors.
"Molly was the epitome of a student-athlete and one of the most impressive people I've ever had the opportunity to be around," said Carnegie Mellon swimming coach Matt Kinney. "It was a privilege to have her in our program for four years. Nobody worked harder than Molly – in the classroom, in the pool or in the community. She deserves all of the accolades and recognition she has received – and more."
Kinney and Director of Athletics Susan Bassett traveled to Indianapolis to celebrate with Evans at the Woman of the Year Dinner. Assistant Director of Athletics Sara Gauntner, who was an assistant coach with the swimming program during Evans' first two seasons and Assistant Director of Athletics Josh Centor, who worked closely with Evans on Carnegie Mellon's Student-Athlete Advisory Council, also attended.
"It was really an honor to have been selected as a finalist for NCAA Woman of the Year and to represent Carnegie Mellon at the event," Evans said. "I felt truly honored and humbled to be recognized along with such an outstanding group of scholar-athletes."
The finalists arrived in Indianapolis on Saturday morning and got together for lunch before heading over to the NCAA Hall of Champions. The women partnered up with girls from the Indianapolis community and planted a pair of flower beds in front of the museum. Following the community service initiative, the finalists and their families had dinner together and got to know one another better. On Sunday, Evans had some free time and was able to visit the Indianapolis Zoo prior to that evening's festivities.
"The best experience of the weekend was getting to know the other finalists being recognized for the award. All of the women getting recognized were amazing student athletes and great leaders on their teams and in the community," Evans said.
Since graduating from Carnegie Mellon, Evans has continued to excel – now as a part of the team at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the Washington, D.C. area. Evans is working with Dr. John Tisdale in the Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI).
"Our lab concentrates specifically on sickle cell anemia, a genetic disorder caused by a single nucleotide change in the gene that encodes a subunit of hemoglobin; this mutation leads to polymerization of the hemoglobin protein, sickling of red blood cells and multisystem symptoms, including severe pain and organ damage," Evans said.
The work in the lab is focused on finding a cure for the disease through transplantation of hematopoietic stem cells, which are stem cells that give rise to all types of blood cells, including the red blood cells that are affected in sickle cell anemia. Specifically, Evans' work is concerned with fixing the mutation in an affected person's stem cells through the addition of the correct gene; the corrected hematopoietic stem cells can then be introduced into the affected patient to hopefully cure the patient of his or her symptoms.
Evans, who had a chance to meet NCAA President Mark Emmert on Sunday night, is not only grateful for the opportunity to be recognized with the most impressive student-athletes in the country, but she is grateful for the chance to have attended one of the nation's most prestigious universities.
"Looking back, I don't know that I would have changed anything about my college experience; between school, swimming, and the friends that I have, CMU was everything I wanted out of my college experience," Evans said.
Photo Gallery of Molly at the Woman of the Year Dinner