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GRINNELL, Iowa – Six women from the Midwest Conference (MWC) have been nominated by their institutions for the 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year Award.

In total, there are 517 nominees for the award with 169 of them coming from the Division III level.  Division I had 231 nominees and Division II had 117.  There are also 127 student-athletes that competed in multiple sports including three from the MWC.  Lake Forest College’s Michelle Greeneway, Lawrence University’s Haley Cardinal and Monmouth College’s Emily Watkins were all dual sport athletes. 

Also nominated from their institutions were Grinnell College’s Madeleine Pesch, Illinois College’s Bianca Savarese and Beloit College’s Lana Wieseman. 

Greeneway had a stellar career in soccer and hockey.  In soccer, she finished her career second in MWC history with 104 goals, second in points (240), second in game-winning goals (29) and eighth in assists with 32.  Her 397 career shots also put her third in league history.  She was a four-time First Team All-MWC selection, two-time MWC Offensive Player of the Year, three-time NSCAA First Team All-North Region pick, and First Team All-American in 2014.  In hockey, she is the Lake Forest career leader in points (152), goals (103) and game-winning goals (20).  She is a four-time All-American and the 2016 recipient of the Laura Hurd Award, which is presented to the Division III Player of the Year.   

Cardinal was a standout in the pool this season for the Vikings.  She won the 100-and 200-yard breaststrokes at the MWC Championship and finished third in the 200-yard individual medley.  Cardinal also led the Vikings 200-yard medley relay that earned a third-place medal.  She also placed fourth in the 400-meter hurdles at the MWC Outdoor Track and Field Championships and ran on the Vikings’ 4x100- and 4x400-meter relays.    

Watkins competed in softball and basketball for the Fighting Scots this season.  She started 17 games on the hardwood this season and averaged 5.7 points per game and 5.7 rebounds per game.  On the diamond, the outfielder hit .316 in 27 starts with 25 base hits and 18 runs scored. 

Pesch a standout swimmer and also an All-American Triathlete, won Grinnell's Honor G Scholastic Award in 2016. She holds two school and MWC relay records, won three individual MWC titles and was a 16-time league medalist.  She also was team captain and served two years as a team Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) representative. 

Wieseman was the MWC Women’s Basketball Player of the Year in 2016.  She was named All-Central Region by D3hoops.com and earned Women’s DIII News Honorable Mention All-American honors.  The forward led the league in scoring (20.7 points per game) was seventh in rebounding (7.3 rebounds per game) and second in field goal percentage (52.8%).  Wiseman is Beloit’s all-time leading scorer (1,639) and the all-time leader in free throws made (410). 

Savarese, a three-time All-MWC soccer player, scored six goals and had two assists in her senior season.  She was part of the winningest class in Illinois College women’s soccer history and is the school’s all-time leader in goals (27) and points (69).  She is also second on the Lady Blue all-time list with 15 assists.

The NCAA encourages member schools to honor their top graduating female student-athletes each year by submitting their names for consideration for the Woman of the Year award.

Next, conferences assess their member school nominees and select up to two conference nominees. The Woman of the Year selection committee, made up of representatives from the NCAA membership, will then choose the top 30 honorees – 10 from each division.

From the top 30, the selection committee determines the top three honorees from each division and announces the nine finalists in September. The NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics then chooses from among those nine to determine the 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year.

The top 30 honorees will be celebrated and the 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year winner will be announced at the annual award ceremony Oct. 16 in Indianapolis.