SUWANEE, Ga. - Recent DePauw
University graduate Lauren Reich has been named the 2010 Southern
Collegiate Athletic Conference Woman of the Year and will be the
conference’s nominee for NCAA Woman of the Year.
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,
community service and leadership.
Reich is the fourth consecutive former DePauw student-athlete to be
recognized as SCAC Woman of the Year – following Amanda Stier
in 2009 (who shared the honor with Colorado College’s Melanie
Auguste), Katie Doogan in 2008 and Liz Bondi in 2007.
“Lauren's selection as SCAC Women of the Year is fitting
recognition of her outstanding achievements both in and out of the
classroom at DePauw University,” said Page Cotton, Theodore
S. Katula Director of Athletics at DePauw.
Reich, a biology major from Mesa, Ariz., earned six all-America
honors in track and field and two in cross country, including a
fourth-place finish at the 2009 NCAA Division III Cross Country
Championships, a second-place showing in the 1,500-meter run and a
third-place finish at the 2010 Division III Indoor Track and Field
Championships. She also was fourth in the 5,000-meter run at the
2010 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Reich was part of SCAC cross country championship teams each of her
four years, won the meet twice (2006 and 2009) and finished second
two times. In track and field, she won the 800- and 1,500-meter
events each of her last three years and added the 5,000 meters to
her titles this year.
Reich was a three-time SCAC Academic Honor Roll selection in cross
country and twice in track and field.
She holds three indoor school records and was part of a
record-setting relay and also holds three outdoor school marks.
This spring she was a co-recipient of DePauw's Amy Hasbrook Award
as the top senior female student-athlete.
"Not only will Lauren be remembered as one of the greatest runners
at DePauw and the SCAC, she will also be remembered for the way she
conducted herself,” said DePauw Cross Country and Track &
Field Head Coach Kori Stoffregen. “Lauren is very humble and
always put others ahead of herself. She is a class act!"
A three-year team captain for both the cross country and track
teams, Reich represented her teammates as a member of the DePauw
Student-Athlete Advisory Board in 2007-2008. The following year,
she volunteered to participate with the DePauw Global Health
Initiative. A member of Alpha Phi, Reich served as a biology mentor
to her fellow sisters this past year.
Back in her hometown of Mesa, Reich has volunteered since 2004
with the Mesa Bird Rescue – an organization that helps to
rescue and rehabilitate small birds.
Reich was one of four outstanding nominees considered by the SCAC
Woman of the Year Committee. In addition to Reich, the 2010 Woman
of the Year candidates were:
* Becky Atnip, basketball and outdoor track
& field, Rhodes College
* Rosie McAuley, soccer, Centre College
* Jennifer McKinley, softball, Millsaps
College
As the SCAC winner, Reich will also be nominated for the NCAA
Woman of the Year award, one of the most prestigious honors the
NCAA bestows. The award recognizes senior student-athletes who have
distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the
areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and
leadership. Each NCAA conference, and independent institutions, can
nominate an distinguished female student-athlete for the NCAA Woman
of the Year Award. The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics will
select the top 10 winners in each division in August. From those 30
honorees, the selection committee will determine the top three in
each division (September). Finally, the members of the CWAÂ
will vote from among the top nine finalists to determine the Woman
of the Year.
The top 10 honorees and the nine finalists from Divisions I, II and
III will be honored and the 2010 NCAÂ Woman of the Year
winner will be announced at a dinner in Indianapolis, on October
17, 2010.
From 1991 to 2005, each state had a woman of the year honoree and
from that group 10 finalists were selected. From the top-10
finalists, the national winner was then chosen. Since 2006, each
conference and independent school forwards nominations to the
NCAA.
For more information on the SCAC Woman-of-the-Year award, including
a list of past winners, click here.
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