Webster's Jenny Howard was chosen as the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference nominee for the NCAA 'Woman of the Year'. As quoted by the SLIAC, "Jenny's dedication on and off the court exemplify what it means to be a Division III athlete." The NCAA Woman of the Year Award honors graduating student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership.
She was one of two 2015 SLIAC Post Graduate Scholarship award winners, based on a graduating student athletes' accomplishments in and out of the classroom. Howard was just the third Webster student athlete to receive the award since its inception in 2003,
Howard (SR, Florissant, MO/Duchesne HS) was a two-sport athlete, playing four years for both the Gorlok volleyball and track and field teams, and majored in Biology with an emphasis in Health and Medicine. In volleyball, she was a four time All-Conference performer, helping her team to four straight SLIAC Tournament Championships. A runner in track, Howard holds numerous schools records, including times in the 100m and 200m dashes outdoors, and the 60m and 200m dashes indoors.
Howard was heavily involved in the Webster LEADS program and has been a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) all four years. Howard was also a member of the Students for Biological Sciences and has done independent research in chemistry this past year. She also has served as a math and reading tutor for UrbanFUTURES and volunteered at both the Mary Ryder home for retired women and the Special Olympics.
She will be attending the University of Missouri's College of Veterinary School, where she will pursue a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine and Masters in Public Health. Howard would like to practice veterinary medicine and own her own mixed animal practice.
This year NCAA member schools nominated 480 women for the national award, the most in the program's 25-year history, with 147 conferences submitting nominees this year. This year's nomination class includes 51 members from NCAA Division III, and holds an 3.72 average GPA. Conference nominations are forwarded to the NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee.
The selection committee chooses the top 10 honorees in each of the three NCAA divisions. From among those 30 candidates, the selection committee then determines the top three finalists in each division. The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics will then select the 2015 NCAA Woman of the Year from the top nine finalists. The 2015 NCAA Woman of the Year will be announced at an awards dinner in Indianapolis on Sunday, October 18, 2015.
SLIAC Commissioner Angie Morenz offered a "Congratulations to Jenny and Webster University!"
