INDIANAPOLIS – Bethany Lutheran alumna Megan Sauer (Lismore, Minn./Adrian) was selected as a nominee for the 2017 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Woman of the Year award, announced Tuesday (June 27) by the organization's office.
 
A record 543 female collegiate student-athletes were nominated by NCAA member schools for this year's Woman of the Year award. The school nominees represent all three NCAA divisions, with 229 from Division I, 117 from Division II, and 197 from Division III. The nominees competed in 21 different women's sports, and 122 were multisport athletes during their time in college.
 
Megan Sauer, a cross country and track and field standout, graduated from BLC with a double major in History and Studio Arts, while possessing a 3.87 grade point average. She is a four-time member of the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Academic All-Conference list and was a finalist for the 2017 UMAC Female Scholar-Athlete Leadership Award. Throughout her four-year career for the Vikings, Sauer has etched her name in several school records on her way to becoming conference champion or runner-up in those same events. To cap off her career at BLC, she captured the 3,000m steeplechase at the 2017 UMAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
 
She was involved in numerous organizations at BLC, including the Scholastic Leadership Society, the campus' mission group (STORM), the Walk to End Alzheimer's, and College's Against Cancer.
 
Next, conferences will select up to two conference nominees each from the pool of school nominees. The Woman of the Year selection committee, made up of representatives from the NCAA membership, will then choose the top 30 honorees – 10 from each division.
 
From the top 30, the selection committee determines the top three honorees from each division and announces the nine finalists in September. The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics then chooses the 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year from those nine.
 
The top 30 honorees will be recognized and the 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year will be announced at the annual award ceremony October 22 in Indianapolis.
 
Established in 1991 and now in its 27th year, the NCAA Woman of the Year award honors graduating female college athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves in academics, athletics, service and leadership throughout their collegiate careers.
 
To review the full list of nominees and the original release, please click HERE.
   
MEDIA: If you need further information, please feel free to contact Lucas Herd at 507-344-7856 or email lucas.herd@blc.edu.