INDIANAPOLIS – Salem's senior softball standout Amanda Dacunto was among 220 student-athletes from the NCAA Division III ranks to be nominated for the 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year Award. NCAA member schools nominated a record 605 female college athletes for the distinctive award.
Dacunto, a senior from Raleigh, N.C., capped off a four-year career in March as a lifetime .356 hitter, finishing with at least a .315 batting average in each of her four seasons at Salem. A staple in the Spirits infield, Dacunto was also responsible had a career .936 fielding percentage, which included 220 assists and 174 putouts in 421 total chances. Her contributions to Salem softball placed her in the Top-15 of 25 single-season statistical categories and 22 career statistical categories.
In the career statistics category, Dacunto, who started in 130 games for the Spirits, ranks among the Top-5 in sacrifice hits (13—t-3rd), runs (102—4th), walks (43—t-4th), assists (220—4th), fewest errors (27—4th), ground into double plays (1—t-4th), hit by pitch (8—5th) and double plays (13—t-5th). She capitalized on single-season career-best 135 at-bats, which are tied for third-most in program history, by coming through with 54 hits, en route to a single-season career-best .400 batting average. That season she scored 40 runs, which place her fourth in program history for most in a season.
Her performance on the field helped Dacunto earn a number of accolades including USA South Rookie of the Week (Feb. 20, 2017), USA Second Team East Division (2019) and USA South All-Tournament Team (2019).
A clutch hitter throughout her collegiate career at Salem, Dacunto departed with 142 hits, ranking her sixth-best in program history. Of her 142 career hits, 23 resulted in a double, which left her eighth-best all-time in program history. Additionally, Dacunto crossed the plate for 102 runs, fourth-most in program history, accounting for 7.8 percent of Salem's 791 runs scored over the past four seasons.
Responsible for at least a .400 on-base percentage in each of her four seasons at Salem, including a single-season career-best .467 on-base percentage in 2019, Dacunto ranks ninth in career on-base percentage (.428) and total bases (179). A fixture in the infield, Dacunto tied for fifth-most double plays in her career with 133, committing just 27 miscues in 421 chances.
Dacunto has constantly volunteered her time to the Salem College community, Winston-Salem and Triad community of North Carolina as well as her family—especially in the case of her nephew Parker. Dacunto, who graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in criminal studies from Salem in May 2020, will continue her education, passion and energy to assist others as she begins pursuing her master of counseling degree at UNC Greensboro in the fall of 2020.
With a personality that is highly driven to give back to others and makes those around her feel welcome, Dacunto earned the Salem Athletic Department's Nan Tilley Department Service Award at the conclusion of the 2019-20 season.
On campus, Dacunto was an active member of College Council on Diversity & Inclusion (CCDI), Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), and was a Fall Fest Overall Chair 2018 and an Orientation Leader. She was active in NCAA DIII Week and SAAC Mental Health Social Media Campaign during 2019-20, Women's Wellness Inspiration Award (Spring 2019) and served as a Count On Me Orientation Leader Award (Fall 2017).
Rooted in Title IX, the NCAA Woman of the Year Award was established in 1991 to recognize graduating female student-athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves in academics, athletics, service and leadership throughout their collegiate careers.
The nominees represent all three NCAA divisions, including 259 nominees from Division I, 126 from Division II and 220 from Division III. Nominees competed in 24 sports, with multisport student-athletes accounting for 128 of the nominees.
Member schools are encouraged to honor their top graduating female college athletes each year by submitting their names for consideration for the Woman of the Year Award. Schools can recognize two nominees if at least one is a woman of color or international student-athlete.
Conference offices will select up to two nominees each from their pool of member school nominees. All nominees who compete in a sport not sponsored by their school's primary conference, as well as associate conference nominees and independent nominees, will be considered by a selection committee. Then, the Woman of the Year selection committee, made up of representatives from the NCAA membership, will choose the Top 30 honorees — 10 from each division.
From the Top 30, the Woman of the Year selection committee will determine the top three honorees in each division and announce nine finalists. The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics then will choose the 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year, who will be named this fall.
For more information on Salem athletics check out www.salemspirits.com.