Newswise — The NCAA announced on Tuesday (Aug. 1) that former Lewis University women's basketball player Jamie Johnson(South Holland, Ill./Marian Catholic) has been nominated by the Great Lakes Valley Conference and an independent selection committee for consideration for the 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year Award.
The nominees represent college athletes from 16 different sports spanning all three NCAA divisions. Of those recognized, 58 nominees competed in Division I, 34 in Division II and 53 in Division III.
"This honor is very well deserved by a woman that blazed an incredible trail on Lewis' campus," Lewis Director of Athletics Dr. John Planek said. "Her accomplishments align with the values that the NCAA hopes are instilled in all student-athletes."
Johnson won the Richard F. Scharf Paragon Award this past May, awarded to one male and one female student-athlete by the GLVC, based upon academic excellence, athletic ability and achievement, character and leadership.
The South Holland, Ill., native, who was the 2015 GLVC Women's Basketball Player of the Year, was a three-time All-GLVC First Team selection and two-time All-American (2015, '17). Johnson, who left Lewis as its all-time leading scorer, was a member of five Flyer teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament, including a run to the NCAA Elite Eight in 2015.
Academically, Johnson received both her bachelor's (communication studies) and master's (business administration) degrees from Lewis University with a perfect 4.0 grade point average. She is a six-time recipient of the Br. David Delahanty Award - given to Lewis student-athletes for academic excellence, and a six-time Academic All-GLVC selection.
Johnson was a 2015 Capital One Academic All-America First Team selection and NCAA Elite 89 winner for academic excellence of all participants at the 2015 NCAA Tournament. She was also selected as the Lewis Senior Student-Athlete of the Year.
She was active outside of the court and classroom as well.
Johnson was a member of both the Intercollegiate Athletic Advisory Committee (2012-17) and Student Athletic Advisory Committee (2011-16). She was a yearly volunteer camp counselor at Lewis University Youth Basketball Camps (2011-16) and was a volunteer pilot leader for Lewis University Welcome Days in 2014.
She often volunteered at various Chicagoland Soup Kitchens and Food Pantries, while helping fundraise for Make-A-Wish Foundation and Ronald McDonald House charities.
In early September, the Woman of the Year selection committee will name the Top 30 honorees, which include 10 women from each division. At the end of September, the selection committee will select and announce nine finalists, with three from each division. The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics will select the 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year from those finalists.
The Top 30 honorees will be celebrated and the 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year will be named at the annual banquet Oct. 22 in Indianapolis.
The NCAA Woman of the Year program has recognized graduating female student-athletes for excellence in academics, athletics, community service and leadership since its inception in 1991.
Lewis University is an innovative and entrepreneurial Catholic university offering market-relevant undergraduate and graduate programs to 6,500 students. Sponsored by the De La Salle Christian Brothers, Lewis University is nationally recognized for preparing intellectually engaged, ethically grounded, globally connected and socially responsible graduates. Visit www.lewisu.edu for further information.
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