NCAA RELEASE
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Graduating senior Giana O'Connor of Fighting Illini women's gymnastics has been selected as a nominee for the 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year award.
The NCAA Woman of the Year award honors graduating female college athletes from all three divisions who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in academics, athletics, service and leadership. To be eligible, nominees must have completed and earned a varsity letter in an NCAA-sponsored sport and must have completed eligibility in her primary sport.
Eligible female student-athletes are nominated by their member school. Each conference office then reviews the nominations from its member schools and submits its conference nominee to the NCAA. The NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee selects the Top 30 – 10 from each division and then three finalists from each division. The Committee on Women's Athletics will select the winner from the top nine.
The top 30 honorees will be celebrated and the 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year winner will be announced at the annual awards ceremony Oct. 16 in Indianapolis.
This is the 26th year of the NCAA Woman of the Year Award program, which was established in 1991. O'Connor is one of 517 honorees nationally – the most in the history of the Woman of the Year program, and one of 231 nominees in NCAA Division I.
A four-time All-Big Ten selection, O'Connor earned first-team honors following her junior and senior campaigns and second-team accolades as a freshman and sophomore, just one of four gymnasts to be honored as all-conference in four competitive seasons.
Before her stellar senior season was cut short due to a knee injury, O'Connor garnered a total of 21 event titles, moving her up to third on the all-time career event titles list with 43 during her four years in the Orange and Blue. The Streamwood, Illinois, native finished the regular season ranked 24th in the nation and sixth in the Big Ten in the all-around with an RQS of 39.315, collecting Team MVP and Consistency Award accolades at the Illini gymnastics annual banquet.
Along with her athletics accolades, O'Connor was a standout in the classroom as well, graduating with high honors with a degree in recreation, sport and tourism, with a concentration in sports management. She was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten and Big Ten Distinguished Scholar honoree, as well as being named Scholastic All-State all four years at Illinois and twice earning Scholastic All-America honors.
A mainstay at the Fighting Illini Kids Clinics after meets, O'Connor and her teammates spent many hours volunteering at Kenwood Elementary in Champaign, as well as numerous Hometown Heroes Program events. O'Connor also participated in a team leadership academy and coordinated the St. Joe for St. Jude 1K Fun Run, to help raise money and awareness, while also encouraging kids throughout the race.
For more Fighting Illini women's gymnastics news, stay tuned to FIGHTINGILLINI.com and follow the team on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
