INDIANAPOLIS - Appalachian State University women's track and field student-athlete, Tristin Van Ord, has been nominated for the 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year award, as announced by the NCAA on Wednesday.
The 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.
Van Ord, a standout star in both cross country and track and field, finished her four-year career at Appalachian as one of the most distinguished runners in school history. The Chapel Hill, N.C. native, carries a 3.91 cumulative grade-point-average in the major of sustainable development. With her nomination to the first team, Van Ord is now eligible for CoSIDA Academic All-American status.
Van Ord, most recently, competed in the 2017 NCAA East Region Preliminaries and finished 36th in the 10,000-meter run with a time of 35:33.28 and took 38th in the 5,000-meters with a time of 17:14.60.
She claimed the silver medal in the 10,000-meter race at the Sun Belt Championships with a time of 36:41.96. In the 5,000-meter race, Van Ord picked up her third-consecutive title with a time of 16:55.29.
During the season, Van Ord topped her own program record in the 10,000-meters with a time of 34:04.64 at the Raleigh Relays. She also earned Sun Belt Track Athlete of the Week during the season.
This marks the 27th year of the Woman of the Year program, which was established in 1991. NCAA member colleges and universities have nominated a record 543 female student-athletes for the 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year award. Of the nominees, 229 competed in Division I, 117 competed in Division II and 197 competed in Division III athletics.
The Sun Belt Conference will 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 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year.
The 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year winner will be announced, and the Top 30 honorees celebrated, at the annual award ceremony on Oct. 22 in Indianapolis.
