ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Former University of New Mexico track & field standout Courtney Frerichs continued to amass honors as the NCAA announced the conference selections for NCAA Woman of the Year.
Frerichs was the Mountain West’s selection for Woman of the Year, a program that honors the academic achievements, athletics excellence, community service and leadership of graduating female college athletes from all three NCAA divisions.
This accolade comes on the heels of two additional awards for Frerichs, who was also named Mountain West Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Female Athlete of the Year earlier Wednesday.
For Frerichs, an NCAA team champion in cross country and individual champion in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, she can add NCAA Woman of the Year selection to a honors list that also includes multiple All-American selections, Bowerman Award semifinalist and USTFCCCA Mountain Region Athlete of the Year.
The Nixa, Missouri, native is also one of two Olympians that were selected for the honor along with Arkansas’ Taylor Ellis-Watson.
This marks the 26th year of the Woman of the Year Award program, which was established in 1991. The four pillars of the Woman of the Year award: academics, athletics, service and leadership.
In early September, the Woman of the Year selection committee will name the Top 30 honorees, representing the top 10 women in each division. The selection committee will then choose and announce the nine finalists, with three from each division, at the end of September. Then, from the pool of nine finalists, the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics will determine the 2016 Woman of the Year.