Indianapolis, IN --- Recent undergraduate WPI women's track and field and cross country student-athlete Sydney Packard '20 has been selected as a recipient of the prestigious NCAA Today's Top 10 award and will be honored at the NCAA Convention on Wednesday, January 10th in Phoenix AZ.
 
The awardees were selected by the NCAA Honors Committee, composed of representatives from the various NCAA divisions and conferences, as well as nationally distinguished citizens including past awardees who recognize former student-athletes for their exceptional athletic and academic achievements, as well as their contributions to their campuses and communities. 
 
Packard is a nine-time first-team All-American, earning six of these honors in the 800-meter event in both indoor and outdoor track and field.  The 15-time All-Region honoree won five regional titles and earned All-New England Men's and Women's Athletic Conference honors 11 times.
 
A three-year team captain, Packard finished her career with six individual conference titles and two relay conference titles. The four-time College Sports Communicators Academic All-American also earned Academic All-District honors five times. Graduating with a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering in 2020.

"Sydney's impact on our program can't be overstated," remarked WPI Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Brian Chabot. "And while we here at WPI, will always recognize her as one of, if not the best to ever do it, it's great to see the NCAA recognize that as well. It's an honor that Sydney richly deserves."
 
Packard is now pursuing a doctorate in chemical engineering and is expected to graduate in 2025. She is a graduate research assistant for the Worcester Polytechnic Institute Stewart Lab. Packard has served as the vice president of the Chemical Engineering Graduate Organization and as a member of the Graduate Research Organization for Women in STEM. She received the National Science Foundation Research Traineeship Circular Economy and Data Analytics Engineering Research for Sustainability Fellows Award in 2023 and was a semifinalist for the Department of Defense Science, Mathematics and Research for Transformation Scholarship-for-Service in both 2022 and 2023.
  
This year's star-studded NCAA Top 10 list also includes Kobe Brown of Missouri women's basketball, Callie Dickinson of Georgia women's swimming and diving, Aria Fischer of Stanford water polo, Divonne Franklin of California (PA) track and field, Noah Gulden of Lipscomb (TN) men's soccer, Ashley Rogers of Tennessee softball, Trinity Thomas of Florida gymnastics, Anika Washburn of Case Western Reserve (OH), and Turner Washington of Arizona State men's track and field.
 
Previous track and field and/or cross country recipients include Kenturah Orji (Georgia - 2019),  Kendra Harrison (Kentucky - 2016),  Colleen Quigley (Florida State - 2016, Abby D'Agostino (Dartmouth - 2015),  Kevin Sullivan (Michigan - 1999),  Suzanne "Suzzi" Favors (Wisconsin - 1991),  Meredith Rainey (Harvard - 1991),  Edward Eyestone (BYU - 1986) and David Wottle (Bowling Green - 1974).
 
Other notable honorees include Bruce Baumgartner (Indiana State wrestling), John Elway (Stanford football), Lisa Fernandez (UCLA Softball), Steve Young (BYU football), Cheryl Miller (USC basketball), Doug Flutie (Boston College football), David Robinson (Navy basketball), Jenny Thompson (Stanford swimming & diving), Peyton Manning (Tennessee football), Rebecca Lobo (UConn Basketball), Drew Brees (Purdue football), Christine Sinclair (Portland soccer) and Heather O'Reilly (UNC soccer). 
 
Packard joins recent WPI Athletics Hall of Fame inductee Ama Biney '18 as just the second former WPI student-athlete to receive this NCAA Today's Top 10 award and the pair joins the ranks of Worcester school's all-time greats to have received the award as Ron Perry Jr. and Gordie Lockbaum represented Holy Cross in the 1980s.

NCAA Release