Swarthmore swimmer Supriya Davis ('15) offers advice for future college athletes in a NCAA Woman of the Year video.
Davis is one of the nine former college athletes selected as finalists for the 2015 NCAA Woman of the Year award, which will be announced October 18th during a ceremony in Indianapolis.
The nine finalists are among 30 Woman of the Year honorees who will be recognized during the event for their outstanding achievements in academics, athletics, community service, and leadership. This group of 30 includes 10 honorees from each NCAA division and represents a range of sports. Schools nominated 480 college athletes for the 2015 award.
Supriya's Biography
Supriya Davis, Swarthmore College
Centennial Conference
Majors: Chemistry; computer science
Sport: Swimming
Hometown: Durham, North Carolina
Excerpt from personal statement: “Recently, I was awarded the Fulbright Scholarship and attribute my success largely to the leadership skills and work ethic that I have developed as a student-athlete. Through this incredible opportunity, I hope to continue sharing my love for swimming by teaching swim lessons in New Delhi, India, in the upcoming year, while applying my scientific curiosity to develop a rapid diagnostic assay for tuberculosis in order to protect lives in India and across the globe.”
Supriya Davis dove head first into community service projects while attending Swarthmore College. The swimmer spent three years volunteering with Children and Adults with Disabilities Educational Services, where she led activities involving art and physical education. Davis also visited regularly with local hospice patients and assisted the University of North Carolina’s Hospital emergency department staff with daily tasks. She also tutored fellow Swarthmore College students in chemistry, computer science and statistics.
A double major in chemistry and computer science, Davis earned multiple Capital One Academic All-District honors. In 2015, the Centennial Conference named her the Scholar Athlete of the Year and the Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper named her the Academic All-Area Performer of the Year. In 2015, Davis was named a College Swimming Coaches Association of America Scholar All-American. Davis earned a Fulbright Scholarship to research tuberculosis in India.
Davis is a four-year letter winner for Swarthmore’s swimming and diving program and went undefeated all four years in dual meet competition in both the 100-meter and 200-meter butterfly. She holds 10 school records – six individual and four relay – and collected 79 first-place finishes in dual meets. Davis also broke eight conference and championship meet records, was named 17 times to the All-Centennial Conference team and was twice named an All-American.
Other 2015 Woman of the Year Stories:
NCAA Woman of the Year Top 9 Finalists Press Release
Centennial Conference WOTY Top 30 Release from September 2, 2015