Isabelle Aragon-Menzel, a senior setter on the Colorado College volleyball team, added another prestigious honor to her extensive list of awards by being voted the 2021 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference co-Woman of the Year in a ballot of the league's senior woman administrators.

Aragon-Menzel, who shared the award with Austin College's Ally Longaker, is the second Tiger to receive the honor, joining Melanie Auguste, the co-Women of the Year in 2009.

"I am so incredibly honored to receive this award," Aragon-Menzel said. "I just wanted to thank all of the people who helped me get here, especially my amazing family, teammates, and coaches. We could not have accomplished all that we did this year without doing so as one team, one family, one unit.

"I will forever be grateful to my teammates for making me a better person, a better player, and a better woman - this award is for all of us. Here's to strong women! Thank you."

Both Aragon-Menzel and Longaker will be nominated for the 31st annual NCAA Woman of the Year award, which honors graduating student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, community service and leadership.

"We are so proud of Belle," CC Vice President and Director of Athletics Lesley Irvine said. "She is an incredible example of an impactful student-athlete and leader in so many ways. From her legacy on the court, in the classroom and on campus we are going to deeply miss her!"

Aragon-Menzel excelled in the classroom, posting a 3.95 grade-point average while majoring in sociology. She made four consecutive appearances on the SCAC Academic Honor Roll, and received the conference's Elite 19 award for volleyball. Most recently, she earned a spot on the CoSIDA Academic All-District team and advanced to the national ballot for Academic All-America honors.

The Chanhassen, Minn., product received Colorado College's Crown-Goodman Presidential Scholarship as a junior and is a member of the Alpha Kappa Delta International Sociology Honors Society.

On the court, Aragon-Menzel led the volleyball team to the program's first undefeated season with a 17-0 record, the SCAC regular season and tournament titles, and the No. 1 ranking in the final AVCA Division III Coaches Poll.

The two-time captain was named the SCAC's inaugural Setter of the Year, a first-team all-conference selection, and the MVP of the SCAC Championship after leading CC to a come-from-behind victory over Trinity University in the tournament final.

During Aragon-Menzel's four seasons, the Tigers posted a combined 114-10 record, won three conference championships and made four appearances in the NCAA Division III Volleyball Championship.
She finished her career ranked No. 13 in program history with 1,404 assists.

Aragon-Menzel's most impressive skill was her ability to intertwine her pursuits of academic and athletic excellence with a commitment to community service and leadership.

Aragon-Menzel was a member of the college's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and served as chair in 2020-21 – heading the group's Change for the Better campaign among other initiatives. She also was one of CC's two conference representatives, served as chair of the Ice Cream Social and Show of Talents Committees, as well as a co-leader of the Diversity & Inclusion Committee.

Aragon-Menzel helped organize the athletics department-wide voting Initiative, which worked to get every CC varsity team 100 percent registered to vote in the 2020 election. She also helped organize placing social justice "Unity" patches on team uniforms, as well as support for black-owned businesses within the athletics department. 

On campus, Aragon-Menzel served on the CC Sustainability Committee, which addresses sustainability and environmental justice issues, was a four-year Peer Tutor at the college's Ruth Barton Writing Center and a teaching assistant in the sociology department.

In the Colorado Springs community, she volunteered as a Gifted and Talented Tutor at North Middle School and as an English as Second Language Tutor at Palmer High School. Aragon-Menzel also volunteered with TESSA – a local organization for survivors of domestic violence.

All conference nominees will be forwarded to the NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee, which will choose the top 10 nominees in each division. From among those 30 honorees, the selection committee will determine the top three in each division. From the nine finalists, the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics then selects the NCAA Woman of the Year, who will be named this fall.

To be nominated, a student-athlete must have completed intercollegiate eligibility in her primary sport by the end of the 2021 spring season, received her undergraduate degree prior to the conclusion of the summer 2021 term and recorded a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 2.50 (4.0 scale).

The SCAC Woman of the Year award was established for the 2005-06 athletic season.

Here are the year-by-year SCAC Woman of the Year Honorees:

2021 – Isabelle Aragon-Menzel, volleyball, Colorado College / Ally Longaker, basketball, Austin College 2020 – DeAnna Hernandez, softball, Texas Lutheran University / Abby Holland, basketball, Trinity University
2019 – Molly McCullough, cross country & outdoor track and field, Trinity University
2018 – Britney Sullivan, outdoor track and field, Trinity University
2017 – Amanda Lochte, softball, Texas Lutheran University
2016 – Brigette Lee, golf, Trinity University
2015 – Emily Jorgens, soccer, Trinity University
2014 – Lilly Duarte, cross country & outdoor track and field, Southwestern University / Shelby Eaves, volleyball, Austin College
2013 – Rachel Thibodeau, volleyball, Southwestern University
2012 – Sharwil Bell, basketball, Rhodes College / Abigail Loar, soccer, Trinity University
2011 – Hayley Emerick, swimming and diving, Trinity University
2010 – Lauren Reich, cross country/outdoor track and field, DePauw University
2009 – Melanie Auguste, basketball, Colorado College / Amanda Stier, swimming and diving, DePauw University
2008 – Katie Doogan, swimming and diving, DePauw University
2007 – Liz Bondi, basketball & tennis, DePauw University
2006 – Christyn Schumann, outdoor track and field, Trinity University