Academics 10/28/2025 6:27:11 AM

Arabe, Mize Advance to NCAA Woman of the Year Top 10

Former Pacific West Confernce soccer stars move into Division II Top 10 category for NCAA Woman of the Year

Pacific West Conference NCAA Woman of the Year honorees Bethany Arabe and Jaci Mize have advanced to the Division II Top 10, announced by the NCAA.

Every year, the PacWest nominates at least one candidate for the award, an honor in itself. This year, both Arabe and Mize were selected and their applications were submitted to the NCAA. Only ten candidates are chosen in each of the NCAA's three divisions (I, II, III). This is the first time that TWO of Division II's top 10 are from the PacWest.

Established in 1991, the award is rooted in Title IX and recognizes female student-athletes who have completed their undergraduate studies and distinguished themselves in their community, in athletics and in academics throughout their college careers.

Selected from a record-breaking 631 nominees submitted by member schools — a group that was then narrowed to 167 nominees at the conference level — the Top 30 honorees include 10 from each of the three NCAA divisions. Each honoree has demonstrated excellence in academics, athletics, community service and leadership. The honorees competed in a total of 14 NCAA championship sports and two NCAA Emerging Sports for Women. They have a variety of majors, including chemistry, mathematics, biology, education, engineering, psychology, nursing, computer science, journalism, sport management and more.

"These honorees represent the very best of what it means to be a student-athlete, and the character-building potential that is inherent in all athletic pursuits. They have distinguished themselves among the many thousands of collegiate athletes who find and surpass their limits every day on the journey to becoming their best selves, not just in sport, but in life," said Marion Terenzio, chair of the Woman of the Year Selection Committee and president of SUNY Cobleskill. "I congratulate all of the remarkable women named to the Top 30 and applaud their demonstrated ability to create positive change in themselves and in the world around them."

From these 30 finalists, the Woman of the Year Selection Committee will choose the 2025 NCAA Woman of the Year, who will be announced this fall and recognized at the NCAA Convention in January in Washington, D.C.

Below is a summary of their accomplishments.

BETHANY ARABE

School: Point Loma
Division II
Conference: Pacific West Conference
Sport: Soccer
Majors: Spanish, biology/chemistry

Athletics

Was a key part of the 2023 national champion team and was named to the championship's All-Tournament Team.
Earned Division II Conference Commissioners Association All-West Region honors, led the Pacific West with five game-winning goals and was named the conference tournament Most Outstanding Player in 2024.

Leadership

Three-year team captain who led members on a global service trip to Africa with the Sports Outreach Institute to expand access to education and sport.
Laboratory teaching assistant and honors scholar researcher, mentoring peers and presenting findings at conferences.

Academics

Graduated summa cum laude, received an NCAA Division II 50th Anniversary Scholarship and earned back-to-back Sea Lion of the Year Awards from her athletics department.
Earned the 2024 Point Loma Biology/Chemistry Department Molecular Sciences Award and multiple Pacific West All-Academic honors.

Community Service

Involved in a Tijuana, Mexico, medical outreach; volunteered as an integrative-healing-through-arts volunteer (working one-on-one with hospital patients on art projects); and was a tutor of African refugee students.
Participated in outreach including homeless services, Vacation Bible School and construction of a church in Mexico.

JACI MAZE

School: Azusa Pacific
Division II
Conference: Pacific West Conference
Sport: Soccer
Major: Biochemistry