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OGDEN, Utah (August 1, 2017) – The Big Sky Conference had two athletes named 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year honorees Tuesday. Former student-athletes Christie Schiel of Montana State and Deeshyra Thomas of Weber State were each nominated by the conference.
Established in 1991 and now in its 27th year, the NCAA Woman of the Year award honors graduating female college athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves in academics, athletics, service and leadership throughout their collegiate careers.
In all, 145 NCAA female student-athletes have been named 2017 Woman of the Year honorees by conferences and independent schools. Of those recognized, 58 competed in Division I, 34 in Division II and 53 in Division III.
Schiel, a track and field athlete and native of Cheyenne, Wyo., graduated in May with a degree in industrial and management systems engineering from Montana State University. She capped off her undergraduate degree with a cumulative GPA of 3.83 and snagged four all-academic honors from the conference and one from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Schiel also excelled on the track, winning All-Big Sky honors a total of five times in her career in both the 4x400-meter relay and 800-meter events. Schiel won three titles in the 800 during her career, going back-to-back in the outdoor seasons of 2015 and 2016. She secured her third 800-meter title this past indoor season as a senior in 2017.
Thomas, a basketball player and native of Clackamas, Ore., graduated in May with a degree in sociology from Weber State University. Thomas recorded a cumulative GPA of 3.10 and earned Big Sky all-academic accolades in 2013-14. While on the court, Thomas earned an All-Big Sky honorable mention in 2015-16, the same year that saw Weber State’s women’s basketball team set the school record for wins (23) in a single season. The savvy guard averaged 10.1 points per game in her career and finished No. 7 in school history in career steals (154). Thomas was the 18th player in school history to join the 1,000-point club and ended No. 9 in Weber State history in field goal percentage (.475).
The NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee selects the Top 30 nominees – 10 from each division and then three finalists from each division. The Committee on Women’s Athletics selects the winner from the Top 9.
All 30 Woman of the Year honorees will be recognized, and the 2017 Woman of the Year announced, at an awards dinner at the JW Marriott Indianapolis on Sunday, Oct. 22, 2017.