COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Colorado State University Pueblo’s Katherine Higgins is the 2024-25 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Woman of the Year, the league announced Tuesday.

Higgins earns the honor after an outstanding season with the CSU Pueblo track & field program, where she made a significant impact on and off the field. She also received the 2025 RMAC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year award. Higgins becomes the second-ever student-athlete to capture the conference’s two highest honors in the same season, joining Colorado Christian University’s Sophia Proano in 2017-18.

Higgins had one of the more highly decorated campaigns in program history during the 2024-25 track & field season, headlined by a national championship in the shot put and a sweep of major RMAC academic honors.

She opened her championship run with a statement at the 2025 RMAC Indoor Track & Field Championships, capturing the shot put title with a throw of 15.42 meters. She carried that momentum into the NCAA Division II Indoor Championships, earning a silver medal with a mark of 15.78 meters. Higgins continued her dominance into the outdoor season, repeating as the RMAC shot put champion with a throw of 16.22 meters and adding a silver medal in the discus (44.07m). She capped her standout season with a collegiate-best 16.38-meter throw to win the outdoor national title in the shot put.

Throughout the year, Higgins compiled an extraordinary list of accolades, including three RMAC championship medals, two Academic Athlete of the Year honors, two First-Team All-RMAC selections, a spot on the 2025 College Sport Communicators Academic All-District® Team, the NCAA Elite 90 award, South Central Region Women’s Field Athlete of the Year, the 2024-25 RMAC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and the prestigious 2024-25 RMAC Woman of the Year title.

In addition to her achievements on the field, Higgins made a profound impact off it through her work as a full-time middle school math teacher at Villa Bella Expeditionary School. Balancing the demands of teaching with the rigors of collegiate competition, she embraced a unique role that deepened her understanding of what it means to be a student before an athlete.
Her presence in the classroom inspired her students, many of whom began to see athletics in a new light.

“The joy on their faces when they tell me about their competitions makes my heart soar,” said Higgins. “Knowing I get to support them in their dreams is incredibly fulfilling.”

Through her journey, Higgins discovered a deeper purpose, empowering young girls to pursue their athletic goals with confidence. “This is where I found my purpose in the world,” she said, “empowering girls to follow their athletic dreams and doing my best to support them in their endeavors.”

Although Higgins’ athletic career at CSU Pueblo was filled with accolades, she reflects on her experience through a deeper lens. “The most important gift that CSU Pueblo has given me is not my college degree, my conference titles, or the All-American awards, but the gift of finding my purpose to empower girls in athletics and help them be successful as student-athletes,” she shared.

The RMAC Man & Woman of the Year Awards, first presented in 2015-16, honor a graduating student-athlete with outstanding academic achievements, athletic accomplishments, community service, and leadership throughout their career. Each member institution may nominate a student-athlete for each award.

Higgins will be honored at the 2025 RMAC Hall of Fame Ceremony and Awards Banquet on Thursday, July 10, at the Colorado Springs Marriott. Doors will open at 5 p.m. MT, and the induction and awards ceremony will follow promptly at 6 p.m. Tickets are available at RMACSports.org/Tickets.

Woman of the Year Honorable Mention:
Shannon King, Colorado Christian; Sabrina VanDeList, Colorado Mesa; Reese McDermott, Colorado School of Mines; Alisha Little, CSU Pueblo; Riley Anderson, MSU Denver; Megan Bunker, Regis; Alessandra Meoni, South Dakota Mines; Kiley Metzger, South Dakota Mines; Rachel Cockman, Western Colorado.
 
About the RMAC
The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, headquartered in Colorado Springs, is a premier NCAA Division II conference with 15 institutions located in Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, and Utah. The RMAC currently competes in 22 NCAA Division II sports and has earned 67 national championships and 53 national runners-up since 1992. Founded in 1909, the RMAC is the most historic athletic conference in the western United States and Division II.