Elon’s Hames Advances in NCAA Track & Field Woman of the Year Selection

INDIANAPOLIS – Former Elon women’s track and field standout Bryanna Hames remains a finalist for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award as announced by the NCAA on Thursday, Aug. 16. Hames is one of 153 nominees remaining for the award and one of 58 honorees at the Division I level.

2018 NCAA Woman of the Year Nominees

The Charlotte, N.C., native was one of two student-athletes nominated from the Colonial Athletic Association along with Emmeline Oltmans from the Delaware women’s field hockey team. The NCAA Woman of the Year award honors graduating female student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership.

Hames finished her career as one of the standout athletes in school history and holds nearly every indoor and outdoor throwing record at Elon. She was a two-time CAA event champion in the discus while also being a four-time All-CAA performer in the discus and three times in the shot put. She also qualified for the NCAA East Preliminary round three times in the discus and became the first athlete from Elon to qualify in multiple events at the preliminary round this past spring in the discus and shot put.

During her junior season in 2017, Hames became the first athlete in school history to qualify and compete at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the discus. She would go on to collect honorable mention All-American accolades in the event. She was later named the 2018 Elon Athletics’ Stein H. Basnight Outstanding Athlete of the Year on the women’s side, honoring the most outstanding Phoenix female athlete of the year.

Hames was also active outside of competition, as she was one of the creators and leaders for Elon’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) and a member of Elon’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). Academically, she was named All-Academic by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) in 2017 and has been a member of the Elon dean’s and president’s list as well as the CAA Commissioner’s Academic Award. She graduated from Elon this spring with a degree in marketing and strategic communications.

The Top 30 honorees, comprising 10 women from each division, will be named by the Woman of the Year selection committee in September. From there, the selection committee will narrow the pool to nine finalists — with three from each division — in early October. One of those finalists will then be named the 2018 Woman of the Year by the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics.

The Top 30 honorees will be celebrated and the 2018 NCAA Woman of the Year will be named at the annual banquet Oct. 28 in Indianapolis.

The NCAA Woman of the Year program has recognized graduating female student-athletes for excellence in academics, athletics, community service and leadership since its inception in 1991.