Carlson Named Summit League's NCAA Woman of the Year Honoree

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - North Dakota State track and field athlete Whitney Carlson was tabbed as The Summit League's honoree for the NCAA Woman of the Year award.  She is one of 142 conference winners.

Carlson finished her Bison career as a five-time All-American and won 17 Summit League titles.  She was also a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-America first team honoree and graduated with a 4.00 GPA.  She will attend dental school at The University of Nebraska.  The Buchanan, N.D. native holds six school records, two indoor and four outdoor.  She was the recipient of the NCAA Elite 88 Award at the 2011 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, which is awarded to the competitor with the highest GPA.  She was also awarded the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.

The Woman of the Year Award, now in its 21st year, honors female student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in academic achievement, athletic excellence, community service and leadership. 2010 Woman of the Year Justine Schluntz was an NCAA swimming champion and 2010 Rhodes Scholar from the University of Arizona.

Nomination submissions for the prestigious NCAA Woman of the Year program continue to grow, with a record 471 nominations received for this year's program, an increase of 19 over last year. Every NCAA member institution is encouraged to honor its top graduating female student-athlete by submitting her name for consideration. Each conference assesses the eligibility of its members' nominees and selects at least one student-athlete to represent the conference. To be eligible for the award, a female student-athlete must have completed intercollegiate eligibility in her primary sport by the end of the 2011 spring season, graduated no later than the end of the summer 2011 term and achieved a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 2.5.

With the 142 conference nominees selected, a committee composed of representatives from NCAA member schools and athletic conferences will select 10 nominees from each of the three divisions to compose the Top 30 nominees, who will be announced in late August. The selection committee will then narrow the Top 30 to three finalists from each division to form the Top Nine, which will be announced in early September. From the Top Nine finalists, the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics will select the national winner. The 2011 NCAA Woman of the Year will be announced during the Woman of the Year dinner in Indianapolis on Sunday, October 16.