FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 17, 2012
Contact: Ben Greenberg, SID (479) 968-0645
FORMER GOLDEN SUN VOLLEYBALL PLAYER LAURA FARNEY NAMED NCAA WOMAN OF THE YEAR NOMINEE
Complete list of 2012 NCAA Woman of the Year Nominees
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana – Former Arkansas Tech Golden Suns Volleyball player Laura Farney has been named a nominee for the 22nd annual NCAA Woman of the Year award.
Farney was nominated for the prestigious NCAA award by the Great American Conference. She graduated this past May from Tech after lettering for four seasons with the Golden Suns. She becomes the third Tech female student-athlete nominated for the NCAA Women of the Year Award as former Golden Sun Basketball player Katie McCormick-Papasan was nominated in 2007 and former Golden Sun volleyball player Kayla Allison was nominated in 2009.
This year's initial list of nominees for the Woman of the Year award includes 429 student-athletes from all three NCAA divisions and all 429 have excelled in academics, athletics and community service.
The Top 10 winners per division will be announced in August and then the field will be narrowed to the Top 3 winners per division in September. The NCAA Woman of the Year winner will be announced at an awards dinner inIndianapolis,Ind., on Oct. 14.
"Laura Farney is a great representative of what a female student-athlete is all about," Tech Assistant Athletic Director and Head Volleyball Coach Kristy Bayer said. "Not only has she had a major impact on the volleyball court, but she has also excelled in the classroom and has had a positive impact on campus and the Russellville community."
According to a press release from the NCAA, nominees for the Woman of the Year award are selected based on service and leadership activities, academic achievement, athletics excellence and a personal statement describing benefits she has gained from her experience as a collegiate student-athlete.
To be eligible for the honor, the female student-athlete must have earned a varsity letter in an NCAA-sponsored sport and competed during the 2011-12 academic year. As well, each individual must have completed their eligibility in her primary sport by the end of the 2012 spring season and must have a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 2.5.
Farney, a native of Morton, Ill., was the only female student-athlete selected from the GAC and one of 58 nominees from NCAA Division II institutions. Conferences may nominate more than one student-athlete, if one of the nominees is a woman of color or an international student-athlete.
In addition to be nominated for the NCAA Woman of the Year award, Farney was also honored as Tech's 2011-12 Outstanding Female Student-Athlete of the Year and was named as a candidate for the GAC Female Scholar Athlete of the Year Award. Additionally, Farney, who was a cum laude graduate in sociology, earned AVCA Division II Honorable Mention All-American honors and was named a First-Team AVCA All-South Central Region honoree and a First-Team All-GAC selection. She carried a 3.658 cumulative grade point average at Tech and helped the Golden Suns to a berth in the NCAA D-II South Central Regional after leading them to both a regular season and GAC Tournament title.
She finished her four-year Tech career as the fourth Golden Sun volleyball player to record 1,000 career kills and 1,000 career digs. She was named a three-time All-Conference honoree, including a two-time First-Team selection and led Tech to a 35-4 record in 2011 and a perfect 16-0 mark in the GAC.
-- Tech Athletics --
