Principia's Casey Powell Selected as NCAA Woman of the Year Nominee

St. Louis, Mo. – Recent Principia College graduate, Casey Powell, has been selected as a NCAA Woman of the Year nominee by the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC). The NCAA Woman of the Year Award honors graduating student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership.

Powell, a four-year letter winner on Principia's women's cross country team, was a two-time SLIAC Runner of the Year and three-time First Team All-SLIAC. She received All-Region honors in cross country in both 2011 and 2012, and qualified for the NCAA Division III Championships in 2012, at which she placed 97th overall. Powell was also a three-year letter winner on Principia's women's outdoor track & field team. She won the 800m title at the 2013 SLIAC Invitational and the 1,500m run in 2011. 

Off the race path, Powell received several honors for her academic accomplishments. She was a six-time SLIAC All-Academic honoree and received Academic All-Scholar honors from the USTFCCCA in both cross country and track & field in 2011, 2012 and 2013. At Principia Powell was also a three-time member of the 4.0 Club for achieving a 4.0 gpa for the semester and a three-time member of the Deans' List. 

While running has been a large part of Powell's time at Principia, she also had the opportunity for other activities. Powell served as a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for three years and held the position of secretary as a senior. She also served as a volunteer at Peace Haven Nursing Home and the Center for American Archeology. 

The NCAA Woman of the Year Award program encourages each institution to honor its top graduating female student-athlete with the nomination and community recognition. Conference offices are responsible for assessing each nominee's eligibility and selecting a conference nominee based on collective achievements in the areas noted. The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics (CWA), who manages the nomination process and selections, chooses the top 10 honorees in each division. From among those 30 candidates, the selection committee determines the top three in each division. Finally, the members of the CWA vote from among the top nine finalists to determine the 2012 NCAA Woman of the Year.

All honorees receive an NCAA certificate and are included in press announcements. The top 10 honorees and the nine finalists from Divisions I, II and III will be honored and the 2013 NCAA Woman of the Year winner announced at a dinner in Indianapolis, Ind., in the Fall.

Former NCAA Woman of the Year nominees from the SLIAC include:

2012 - Rachel Backes, Westminster (basketball)
2010 - Mary Garbett, Eureka (softball)
2009 - Kerry Hammer, Greenville (volleyball)
          Christina Speer, Principia (volleyball & basketball)
2008 - Emily Forbes, Eureka (volleyball & softball)