INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- Harvard women's swimming & diving alumna Jing Leung was named one of the Top 30 honorees for the 2018 NCAA Woman of the Year Award. 

Selected from a record 581 school nominees—a group that was then narrowed to 154 nominees by conference offices—the Top 30 honorees include 10 from each of the three NCAA divisions. All have demonstrated excellence in academics, athletics, community service and leadership. The honorees competed in 13 sports and studied a broad range of academic majors. 

A statistics major at Harvard, Leung was a three-time platform zone diving champion and earned Ron Keenhold Career High Point Diver accolades at the 2018 Ivy League Women's Swimming & Diving Championships. She was an Academic All-Ivy honoree and a four-time CSCAA Scholar All-America selection, while volunteering her time to numerous community service projects. Additionally, during her time at Harvard she was an active member of the Harvard Alumni Association as the Student Reunions Coordinator as well as a Quincy House Green Representative.

“These 30 women have demonstrated outstanding commitment to excelling in the classroom and in their sports while also serving their peers and communities,” said Sherika Montgomery, chair of the Woman of the Year selection committee and associate commissioner for governance and compliance at The Summit League. “They represent the best and brightest of women competing in college and sports, and we’re thrilled to celebrate them and their achievements.”
 
The selection committee will announce the nine finalists, including three women from each NCAA division, in early October. From those finalists, the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics will select the 2018 NCAA Woman of the Year. The Top 30 will be celebrated and the Woman of the Year will be named Oct. 28 at a ceremony in Indianapolis. 

IVYLEAGUE.COM Q&A WITH JING LEUNG

IVYLEAGUE.COM: Jing, congratulations on being named 1-of-30 finalists for the prestigious NCAA Woman of the Year Award. It is incredibly well-deserved. What was your initial reaction when you heard the news? 
 
LEUNG: Thank you. I was stunned. (I still am). I’m a mess now but I was even more of a mess freshmen year. So, the fact that I can be considered for an award like this speaks to my team’s grace and how fantastic my coaches are at being mentors and educators. They embraced me and all my tears, tantrums, fears and insecurities. They helped me grow throughout college…all the way to the end. 
 
IVYLEAGUE.COM: Harvard and the Ivy League prides itself on developing and challenging students in every facet their collegiate experience, whether that be academically, athletically, culturally or socially. How do you feel like you took advantage of those opportunities during your time in Cambridge?  
 
LEUNG: I tried to be open minded and step into things that interested me even if I wasn’t good or experienced at them. I was never going to “have it all together” so being able to contribute was often a matter of whether or not I was willing to help and learn more than a matter of how skilled or experienced I already was. I tried to let go of my image, be more comfortable with making mistakes and be less afraid of “failing.” Also, if a door closed and I was rejected from one thing, since there are a trillion-plus opportunities at Harvard, I tried to look for a different door that might be open. I’m a big believer in the phrase: when there’s a will, there’s a way. 
 
IVYLEAGUE.COM: You were incredibly successful in the pool, earning the Ivy League’s career high point diver accolade during your senior year and also earning a trip to four-straight NCAA Championships. As you look back at your athletic experiences during your time at Harvard, what stands out the most?  
 
LEUNG: To my surprise it’s not the competitions, championships or award stands. I remember the everyday stuff: the joy and warmth I feel when I’m around the team, the poolside dancing, my jaw hurting from laughing too much at team meals and of course the belting of Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer” while our legs burned on the elliptical. I think about the beauty of teammates knowing that they are loved as they are and you see them be free and become more themselves as they go through college. 
 
IVYLEAGUE.COM: Since graduation, how have you noticed that your time at Harvard and in the Ivy League have readied you for a successful future? 
 
LEUNG: Pretty much in every way! I didn’t find college easy, but it’s because of this that I came out more resilient and graduated with a bucket-load of life lessons. I learned how to work efficiently with a demanding schedule, how to be disciplined—saying no to some things and yes to self-care—and the importance of genuinely caring and supporting others. I also learned how to challenge myself, go out of my comfort zone, have a growth mindset and not a fixed mindset, use failures to boost progress, and address and overcome fears. I learned to sincerely celebrate others’ success, the power of body language and how contagious a positive attitude is. Most of all, I learned how people can be leaders whether they’re in official positions of leadership or not. 
 
IVYLEAGUE.COM: To be named one of 30 finalists is an incredible accomplishment in itself, but what would winning the NCAA Woman of the Year award mean to you? 
 
LEUNG: Haha. It still tickles me that I was ever considered for the award. It’s more than generous to be recognized as a finalist. I’m flattered, but from here to the awards ceremony I’m just excited to meet the other finalists, hear their experiences and stories, learn from them and be inspired.