Shorter’s Walker named nominee for NCAA Woman of the Year

From Shorter University Athletics:

The honors continue for Track and Field standout, Ayana Walker, as she was chosen as Shorter’s nominee for the prestigious NCAA Woman of the Year Award.

Walker joins last year’s nominee, Paige Rowland, as the Lady Hawks selections for Woman of the Year since becoming eligible for honors last year.

The award, in its 26th year, honors graduating female college athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in academics, athletics, service and leadership.

This year, NCAA member colleges and universities nominated 517 female student-athletes – the most ever in the history of the program – for the award. Of the nominees, 213 competed in Division I, 117 competed in Division II and 169 competed in Division III athletics.

The NCAA encourages member schools to honor its top graduating female student-athletes each year by submitting their names for consideration for the Woman of the Year award.

Then, conferences assess each nominee’s eligibility and select up to two conference nominees. All conference nominees are forwarded to the Woman of the Year selection committee, which chooses the top 30 honorees – 10 from each division.

From the top 30, the selection committee determines the top three nominees from each division and announces the top nine finalists in September. The NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics then chooses from among those nine to determine the 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year.

The 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year winner will be announced, and the Top 30 honorees celebrated, at the annual award ceremony Oct. 16 in Indianapolis.