CEDARVILLE — Cedarville University graduate student Rachel (Sweeney) Bredeson has officially been selected as a nominee for the 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year Award.
A cross country and track & field standout for the Lady Jackets, Bredeson carries a perfect 4.0 GPA as a pharmaceutical sciences major.
Her academic honors include being named the G-MAC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, she earned the Great Midwest Elite 25 Awards for both indoor and outdoor track & field, and she was also the 2021 NCAA Elite 90 Award winner for having the top GPA at the outdoor national meet
A Xenia native and Legacy Christian Academy graduate, she placed sixth in the nation in the steeplechase to earn NCAA Division II All-America honors in 2022 after placing third at the G-MAC Championship.
Bredeson served as team captain for both the cross country and track & field teams. She is president of the Student National Pharmacist Association and chair of the Student College of Clinical Pharmacy Central Nervous System PRN.
Selected from 577 school nominees – a group that was then narrowed to 156 nominees at the conference level – the Top 30 honorees include ten from each of the three NCAA divisions. Each honoree has demonstrated excellence in academics, athletics, community service and leadership.
The honorees represent 14 sports and include nine multi-sport student-athletes. They have a variety of majors, including biological and biomedical engineering, psychology, business, digital communications, education, nursing, law and policy, and robotics.
“As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Title IX, we recognize the impact of women on college sports and are honored to select 30 incredible student-athletes who have played instrumental roles on their campus, in their community and on their teams,” said Renie Shields, chair of the Woman of the Year Selection Committee and senior associate athletics director/senior woman administrator at Saint Joseph’s.
“This accomplished and diverse group of women represent the millions of student-athletes who have participated in the strong history of women’s sports.”
The selection committee will select three honorees from each NCAA division, for a total of nine finalists. From those finalists, the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics will choose the 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year.
For the first time in the award’s history, the NCAA Woman of the Year will be named and the Top 30 will be celebrated at the NCAA Convention, which will be held in January in San Antonio.
The Woman of the Year Selection Committee announced its national Top 30 honorees Thursday.
Established in 1991, the award recognizes female student-athletes who have completed their undergraduate studies and distinguished themselves in their community, in athletics and in academics throughout their college careers.
