UW-La Crosse’s Halama and UW-Whitewater’s Woodson Named Conference’s NCAA Woman of the Year Nominees
Official NCAA Release
MADISON, Wis.--Former University of Wisconsin-La Crosse track & field member Bria Halama and UW-Whitewater soccer standout Jenna Woodson have been named the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) nominees for the 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year Award.
Now in its 26th year, the NCAA Woman of the Year Award honors graduating female student-athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in academics, athletics, service and leadership. By submitting nominations, institutions and conferences have the opportunity to recognize female student-athletes who best exemplify a commitment to these four areas.
A native of Independence, Wis., Halama compiled a 3.82 grade point average and majored in therapeutic recreation, pre-occupational therapy. She is a two-time member of the Academic All-America® Women’s Track & Field/Cross Country First Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), earning the distinction the last two years. The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) tabbed her as the NCAA Division III Scholar-Athlete of the Year on three occasions (2013-14 indoor; 2014-15 indoor and outdoor).
She received the 2016 WIAC Judy Kruckman Scholar-Athlete Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field Awards and is a two-time member of the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll.
Halama earned 11 career NCAA Division III All-America honors, including four individual national titles in the triple jump. She captured the indoor triple jump in 2014 and 2015 and the outdoor crown in 2015 and 2016. She was a member of NCAA Division III indoor champion 4x400-meter relays in 2014 and 2015 to give her six career national titles.
At this year's WIAC Outdoor Championship, Halama established a conference meet record of 41-5 1/4 to win the triple jump for the second straight year and added a first-place finish in the 400-meter dash. At the WIAC Indoor Championship, she was a member of the winning distance medley relay team.
Halama holds school records in the outdoor triple jump (42-2 3/4) and outdoor 400-meter dash (54.83). She also owns school records in the indoor triple jump (40-9 1/2) and as a member of the 4x400-meter relay (3:45.25). In 2015, she was named UW-La Crosse's Female Athlete of the Year and the team's Co-Most Outstanding Junior. Halama was selected the team's Co-Most Outstanding Sophomore in 2014.
A member of the Eta Phi Alpha Honors Society, Halama also contributed to UW-La Crosse's Therapeutic Recreation Club and Pre-Occupational Therapy Club. She volunteered with Mayo Clinic, Easter Seals, Special Olympics and a Pre-K school program.
Woodson, a native of Menomonee Falls, Wis., majored in international business and management with a minor in Spanish and sustained a 3.88 grade point average. She is a two-time Academic All-America® Women’s Soccer selection by CoSIDA, receiving second team honors in 2015 and third team recognition in 2014. Woodson was chosen the 2015 WIAC Judy Kruckman Women’s Soccer Scholar-Athlete Award recipient in 2015 and was a four-time member of the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll. She belonged to four separate honor societies and graduated summa cum laude.
Woodson claimed All-America Third Team honors from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and WIAC Offensive Player of the Year recognition in 2013. She finished her career as a two-time All-Region honoree and three-time All-Conference first team performer, as well as the program’s all-time leader in assists. During her four seasons, the Warhawks won three WIAC regular-season championships, three WIAC tournament titles and made four appearances in the NCAA Division III Championship.
A two-year team captain, Woodson served as vice president of TOMS Campus Club and fundraising coordinator for the International Business Club, and was a Veteran Warhawk and volunteer in the Warhawk Leadership Academy. She was selected UW-Whitewater’s Female Student-Athlete of the Year for the 2015-16 academic year.
All conference NCAA Woman of the Year nominees will be forwarded to the NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee. The selection committee will choose the top 10 nominees in each division. From among those 30 honorees, the selection committee will determine the top three in each division. Finally, the members of the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics will vote from among the top nine to determine the 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year.
The 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year winner will be announced, and the Top 30 honorees celebrated, at the annual awards ceremony in Indianapolis on Oct. 16.
Halama and Woodson were chosen from a conference field that also included UW-Platteville’s Allison Wells (Moline, Ill.).
In order to be considered for the award, nominees must complete their eligibility (or have no intent to compete further) by July 2016 and have completed their undergraduate degrees by the end of the summer of 2016. Individuals can be nominated only once in their careers.
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