HAVERFORD, Pa. – Nora Weathers '16 has been announced as a nominee for the 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year. Weathers, a recent graduate and team captain of both the women's cross country and track & field teams, is one of a record-breaking 517 student-athletes who were nominated across the country. Of the record 517 entrants, 169 of these female-student athletes come from Division III schools.
Now in its 26th year, 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.
Weathers capped her standout running career by being named the Gregory Kannerstein '63 Award recipient at Haverford's Senior Student-Athlete Banquet. That award honors an individual whose combination of outstanding athletic achievement and leadership has been a significant factor in a team's competitive success and whose level of performance has brought distinction not only to the individual but also the entire athletic program.
On the track, Weathers was a two-time All-American. Her most recent honor came during this winter when she anchored the Fords' distance medley relay to a third place finish at the NCAA Championships. Weathers also placed sixth at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships during her junior season in the 1,500 meters. She was also a member of three cross country teams who qualified for the NCAA Championships and was a qualifier to the mile run during the winter of her junior season.
In the Centennial Conference, the Fords' captain was also a two-time Centennial Conference Champion as she won the mile during the 2016 indoor season and the 1,500 meters during the 2015 outdoor season. In total, she earned seven All-Centennial Conference honors during her track career for finishes in the top three of her events. She added three second-team All-Centennial Conference honors during her decorated cross country career.
In the classroom, Weathers was recognized on the Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll and was recently named to the Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area team. She has also been honored as a USTFCCCA Scholar-Athlete throughout her career.
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. 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.