CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Longwood softball right-handed pitcher Er'ron Burton and women's soccer midfielder Alex Dinger have been nominated for Big South Woman of the Year honors, the league announced on Tuesday.
The pair is part of a group of seven senior student-athletes nominated across the conference. The other nominees for the award are Odette Font Garcia (golf, Charleston Southern), Esprit Cha (lacrosse, High Point), Meredith Page (volleyball, Radford), Rachel Davis (track & field, USC Upstate) and Maddie Hodgson (lacrosse, Winthrop).
Burton, a Suffolk, Va., native, is a four-year Big South Presidential Honor Roll recipient while also earning College Sports Communicators academic all-district honors as a sophomore and senior. Burton also was a three-time Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete.
Graduating magna cum laude with a degree in computer science in May,Burton earned Longwood honor all four years of her collegiate career, being named to the dean's list for three years and the president's list as a senior.
On the field, Burton was once named Big South Freshman of the Week in 2022. She claimed a spot on the Big South all-tournament team in 2023, also earning Big South Pitcher of the Week and All-Big South Second Team honors in 2025.
Dinger, from Fredericksburg, Va., was a four-year member of the Big South Presidential Honor Roll. She was named to the CSC academic all-district team as a senior in 2024.
Dinger graduated magna cum laude with a degree in kinesiology with a concentration in health and human performance, going on to become a graduate assistant on the Longwood sports performance staff this past spring. A three-time dean's list performer academically, she claimed president's list honors as a senior.
She was an All-Big South honorable mention in 2020-21 and a second-team pick in 2023.
In 84 matches played for the Lancers, including 76 starts, Dinger scored six goals and eight assists for 20 points.
The Big South Woman of the Year selection will advance to the NCAA voting.
The NCAA 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 conference-level nominees. The Top 30 honorees will be announced in the fall. 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 2024 NCAA Woman of the Year. The honorees will be celebrated at the Woman of the Year Award Ceremony at the NCAA Convention.
Established in 1991, the NCAA Woman of the Year program has recognized graduating female student-athletes for excellence in academics, athletics, community service, and leadership throughout their college careers.
