Former Northwestern softball player Marisa Bast was named one of nine finalists for the NCAA’s Woman of the Year award, the NCAA announced Thursday.

Bast, who batted .342 over four seasons with the Wildcats, launched an anti-bullying initiative, Reach Out and Reinforce Respect, last year.

The program paired more than 30 NU athletes with local elementary and middle school students in an effort to reduce bullying.

Bast told NCAA.com that her passion for anti-bullying advocacy derived from personal experience.

“As I was building this program, I realized something was a catalyst for my passion,” Bast said. “I couldn’t figure it out because I had pushed it to the back of my mind and didn’t want to think about it.”

At NU, Bast was a slugging infielder. She was named to the all-Big Ten first-team twice and second-team twice, finishing her career with a .451 on-base percentage a .597 slugging percentage and 194 runs batted in.

The Woman of the Year award winner will be announced Oct. 19 at a ceremony in Indianapolis.

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