(courtesy Caldwell University Athletics Communications)

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (October 20, 2025) – The Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference has selected Caldwell University softball standout and 2025 graduate Ashleigh Tavaska as its nominee for the 2025 NCAA Woman of the Year Award, CACC Commissioner Dan Mara announced today.

Tavaska, a health science major from Jackson, N.J., enjoyed a decorated senior season. Her 2025 accomplishments included being named National Fastpitch Coaches Association Third-Team All-America, Division II Conference Commissioners Division II East Region Player of the Year, CACC Softball Player of the Year, NFCA and D2CCA All-East Region First Team, College Sports Communicators Academic All-District, and CACC Student-Athlete of the Month for March 2025. She batted .442 with 17 doubles, seven triples, and 10 home runs, scored 44 runs, and drove in 59.

As a four-year starter for the Cougars at shortstop, Tavaska ranks fourth in program history in home runs (22), eighth in batting average (.389), third in runs batted in (182), fifth in doubles (60), first in triples (16), sixth in runs scored (149), ninth in stolen bases (45), first in total bases (417), and fifth in slugging percentage (.627).

The NCAA Woman of the Year program stresses not just athletic and academic performance, but service and leadership as well. Tavaska has been an active volunteer for numerous organizations, notably Caldwell’s Student-Athlete Mentoring, Caldwell University Breaks the Stigma, Strides Against Breast Cancer, Semper Fi Marine 5K and Walk, Autism Speaks Walk and more.

The Woman of the Year Selection Committee, consisting of representatives from NCAA member schools, will selected the Top 30 honorees – 10 from each division – from the pool of conference-level nominees. Later in the fall, the committee will narrow that group by naming the top three honorees per division, forming a total of nine finalists. From those nine, the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics will selected as the 2025 NCAA Woman of the Year.

Since graduation, Tavaska has begun the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at Rutgers University.

Founded in 1961, the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference has been affiliated with NCAA Division II for 20 years. Conference institutions compete for championships in 17 sports – seven for men, nine for women, and one co-ed. The CACC contains 11 full members in Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Membership includes the University of Bridgeport, Caldwell University, Chestnut Hill College, Dominican University New York, Felician University, Georgian Court University, Goldey-Beacom College, Holy Family University, Post University, Thomas Jefferson University, and Wilmington University.