NCAA Release
Canyon, Texas – West Texas A&M women's track and field All-American Bri Leeper continues to add to her legacy as she was named as one of two Lone Star Conference nominees for the 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year Year on Tuesday afternoon. Leeper and Angelo State's Katie MacLeay were the two female student-athletes nominated by the LSC.
Leeper is one of 142 female student-athlete conference nominees selected from a record 517 school nominees spanning all three NCAA divisions from 17 different sports. Division II is represented with 37 nominees while Division I had the most nominees with 54. Leeper was one of 35 nominees who participated in outdoor track and field while 29 nominees participated in door track & field.
"This is incredibly exciting," Leeper said. "My time at WT was such a huge blessing to me and I get a little emotional knowing that I get to represent such an awesome university and now one of the best conference in the nation. With that too, I'm really excited to know that my friend, Katie, was nominated by the LSC as well. I know that she is equally as deserving and has had an impact on me spiritually and athletically. It's a huge honor to be selected."
The Amarillo native is a two-time recipient of the Elite 89 award and earned the President's Award this past year's WT Athletics Awards Banquet. This past spring at the 2016 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships Leeper ran the second leg on the 4x100-meter relay that finished third in a school record time of 45.34. She is one of only three Lady Buffs to have earned three or more All-American honors in a career during the outdoor championships.
Leeper recently graduated with a degree in broadcasting and electronic media in May with a 4.0 GPA and was named the 2016 Lone Star Conference Outdoor Track & Field Academic Runner of the Year. During her time at WT, she was heavily involved in Buff Branding and raising money for Make-A-Wish foundation as a member of the Student-Athlete Leadership Team (SALT).
"We couldn't be happier for Bri and this accomplishment," WT head coach Darren Flowers said. "She is a perfect example of someone who took care of business on and off the track. Not only did she hold a 4.0 GPA but also served the community every chance she could. Â She has helped build our program in to what it is today and we couldn't be more excited that she has a chance to be named the 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year.
About the 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year
In early September, the Woman of the Year selection committee will named 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.
The Top 30 honorees will be celebrated and the 2016 Woman of the Year will be named at the annual banquet Oct. 16 in Indianapolis, Ind.
