STANFORD, Calif. - Brooke Forde has been selected as the Pac-12 Woman of the Year for the 2021-22 campaign, as announced by the conference on Tuesday.
The Pac-12 Woman of the Year Award honors graduating student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, community service and leadership. Forde is Stanford's fourth winner of the award, which began in 2006, joining Valarie Allman (track and field; 2018), Chiney Ogwumike (basketball; 2014), and Arianna Lambie (track & field/cross country; 2008).
Forde, along with Arizona State's Emma Nordin, will progress as the Pac-12's candidates for the 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year. The pair was selected from 12 nominees submitted by Pac-12 member institutions earlier this month. Each year, NCAA member schools are encouraged to celebrate their top graduating female student-athletes by nominating them for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award. Up to two female student-athletes can be recognized from each school and conference if at least one of them is an international student-athlete or woman of color.
A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Forde recently completed a master's degree in epidemiology with a 4.2 grade-point average after receiving an undergraduate degree in human biology with a 3.96 GPA in 2021.
During her five seasons competing on The Farm, Forde helped the Cardinal to a pair of NCAA championships (2018, 2019) and four Pac-12 titles (2018-20, 2022). Forde claimed five NCAA individual or relay national titles - part of being a 19-time All-American - as well as six Pac-12 individual or relay titles.
Prior to her fifth and final season, Forde captured a silver medal in the 800 free relay at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
Forde's academic honors are equally impressive, being named the 2021 CoSIDA At-Large Academic All-America of the Year and a three-time CoSIDA First Team Academic All-America (2020, 2021, 2022). Additionally, Forde was the 2020-21 Pac-12 Women's Swimming and Diving Scholar-Athlete of the Year, a five-time CSCAA Scholar All-American (2018-22), three-time Pac-12 Winter Academic Honor Roll recipient (2020, 2021, 2022) and a 2019 Pac-12 All-Academic First Team All-Academic selection.
Forde's leadership and service activities include serving as co-president of the Stanford Student-Athlete Sustainability Committee and creating the Pac-12 Sustainability Committee, during which she spearheaded a Zero Waste initiative at a Stanford football game with recycling, e-waste and donation drives that were duplicated during basketball season. Forde also assisted in creating a sustainability in athletics course at Stanford that has been recognized by the United Nations.
Forde received Stanford University's 2022 James W. Lyons Award for Service, which highlights outstanding contributions in areas of extraordinary need that result in substantial change.
In 2022, Forde accepted a two-year assignment with the Peace Corps as a public health officer in rural Peru.