Anika the magnificent

No longer starring on collegiate soccer fields, Anika Washburn ’22 continues to bring glory to CWRU. On November 27, she became the first student-athlete in university history to be named a finalist for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award.

The award honors female student athletes who distinguished themselves in academics, athletics, service, and leadership. Washburn was one of nine women selected nationwide, continuing an impressive streak of academic and athletic honors.

While earning her bachelor’s degree in computer science, she became the first CWRU student-athlete to be named to the Academic All-America team four times in a single sport. She helped lead the Spartans to their first UAA women’s soccer title and a gripping national finalist finish in 2022. Washburn is the program’s single-season and career record holder in goals, points, and game-winning goals.

A Junior-Senior Scholar, Washburn also devoted herself to community service. As co-president of the Girls Who Code Club for three years, she helped organize workshops to promote coding skills and interest in STEM among girls in Greater Cleveland. She was also a peer advisor for the Case School of Engineering.

Washburn took her Case degree to Microsoft, where she is a software engineer.