Recently graduated Boise State School of Nursing and cross country and track and field student-athlete, Marisa Howard, has been named Boise State’s nominee for the 2015 Woman of the Year award. Howard is among 480 Division I, II and III student-athletes who were nominated by their respective institutions.
Now in its 25th year, the Woman of the Year award honors graduating female college athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in academics, athletics, service and leadership.
The Pasco, Wash., native finished her career as a three-time All-American selection while competing in cross country, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field at Boise State. She won four individual Mountain West Championships – three in the 3,000m steeplechase and one in the 5,000m (outdoor) – and earned 11 All-Mountain West honors throughout her Bronco career.
Howard graduated from Boise State in May with a degree in nursing after concluding her academic career with a 3.84 grade-point-average. She also graduated with Magna Cum Laude distinction and made the Dean’s List in seven semesters at Boise State.
Outside of athletics and the classroom, Howard partnered with St. Mark’s Church Community Health Ministry last fall and created a health survey to better serve the needs of their large church population. In addition, she represented the Boise State School of Nursing at the Service Learning in Action Student Exhibition.
The Mountain West will select one nominee to represent the conference later in the summer.
After the conference nominee is chosen, a selection committee will determine the top three finalists from each division and then announce the top nine finalists in September. The NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics then chooses from among those nine to determine the 2015 Woman of the Year.
The 2015 NCAA Woman of the Year winner will be announced, and the Top 30 honorees celebrated, at the annual award ceremony Oct. 18 in Indianapolis.