INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (June 27, 2017) - NCAA member schools have nominated 543 student-athletes for the 2017 Woman of the Year award, a list that includes gymnast Katie Simpson of Texas Woman's University.
 
The NCAA Woman of the Year award honors graduating female college athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in academics, athletics, service and leadership.
 
Simpson graduated this spring Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Food and Nutrition in Business and a cumulative GPA of 3.925 while becoming the third student-athlete in program history named to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America® At-Large First Team. The all-arounder led the Pioneers to a team USAG National Championship in 2017 and is a four-time All-American. The Carlsbad, Calif., native set career highs this year on vault (9.825), bars (9.875), beam (9.850), floor (9.825) and all-around (38.95). Simpson is a seven-time Scholar-Athlete, a D2ADA Award recipient and was the 2015-16 TWU Chancellor's Award honoree.
 
This pool of school honorees marks the largest in the 27-year history of the award. Of the nominees for the national award, 229 competed in Division I, 117 competed in Division II and 198 competed in Division III athletics. The nominees also combined for a 3.69 GPA.
 
The NCAA encourages member schools to honor their top graduating female student-athletes each year by submitting their names for consideration for the Woman of the Year award.
 
Next, conferences assess their member school nominees and select up to two conference nominees. The Woman of the Year selection committee, made up of representatives from the NCAA membership, will then choose the top 30 honorees – 10 from each division.
 
From the top 30, the selection committee determines the top three honorees from each division and announces the 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 top 30 honorees will be celebrated and the 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year winner will be announced at the annual award ceremony Oct. 22 in Indianapolis.