HIGH POINT, N.C. — High Point University's Sarah Kahn has been named the Big South Conference's Co-Honoree for Woman of the Year, alongside Radford University's Saleena Lynch, the conference announced Tuesday afternoon.
 
The Panthers' standout women's golfer joins 619 female student-athletes — nominated across all divisions — considered for the 2023 NCAA Woman of the Year award, which recognizes all graduating women for excellence in academics, athletics, community service, and leadership throughout their college careers.
 
"I'm so happy to hear Sarah is a nominee for such a prestigious award," HPU Head Coach Lyndsey Hunnell said. "It is great to see all her hard work being recognized. She left a big impact on the team this year as well as her entire career at HPU. She has helped propel our program into a great direction!"
 
Over the past three years, HPU has had two female student-athletes win Big South Woman of the Year. Kahn joins volleyball player Abby Bottomley, who won the accolade in 2020-21 for the Panthers' first-ever honoree, as Janay Whittaker was the runner-up in 2012-13.
 
Kahn reached new heights in her final season as a Panther, becoming one of the most decorated athletes in High Point women's golf history. During the 2022-23 season she won three tournaments — Big South Championship, Kingsmill Intercollegiate and Grandover Fall Classic — and was named the first-ever HPU Big South Player of the Year.
 
She was named the Big South Golfer of the Week on three occasions and finished the year with the program's lowest scoring average for a single season, averaging a 73.24 over the eight tournaments. Kahn, a native of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., went on to compete at the NCAA Regionals as an individual, becoming the second High Point player to ever do so. Her T-6 finish overall recorded the best finish in program history at an NCAA Regional.
 
Kahn set the bar high for future athletes by breaking multiple program records throughout her collegiate career. In a single season she holds the highest number of par or better rounds (13), highest number of recorded birdies (92), lowest 18-hole score (64), lowest 36-hole total (139), lowest 54-hole total (203), lowest opening round and lowest final round score (64). In a career, she holds the career scoring average (74.72), number of career par or better rounds (37), number of career birdies (323) and number of career wins (4-tied).
 
Kahn, who graduated with psychology degree (3.89 GPA) and earned her Master's in Business Administration during her fifth year, rounded out her academic and athletic career at HPU becoming a five-time WGCA All-American Scholar, a 10x Big South Presidential Scholar as well as a six-time Millis Scholar-Athlete. She was also named to the Big South Women's Golfer All-Academic Team three times during her career.
 
Off the course, the Panthers' co-captain participated in High Point's SAAC, was a member of Psi Chi Psychology National Honor Society – where she served as a peer mentor and was involved in various community service programs. Of those, she helped at local homeless shelters, prepared birthday cake boxes for families, participated in MLK Day on HPU's campus, and created graphics for fundraisers like "Soaps for Souls," among other initiatives. The NCAA Woman of the Year Selection Committee, made up of representatives from the NCAA membership, will the Top 30 honorees -- 10 from each division -- from the conference-level nominees.  The Top 30 honorees will be announced in October. The selection committee will then determine the top three honorees in each division from the Top 30, and the nine finalists will be announced in November.  From those nine finalists, the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics will choose the 2023 NCAA Woman of the Year.  The honorees will be celebrated at the Woman of the Year Award Ceremony at the NCAA Convention in Phoenix in January.