TicketsCINCINNATI – Former Universtiy of Cincinnati track & field and cross-country student-athlete Hannah Markel has been recognized as the American Athletic Conference honoree for the 2021 NCAA Woman of the Year award, along with former Southern Methodist University track and field student-athlete Ashton Woods.
Markel and Woods join 150 other conference-level nominees on the national ballot, with the Top 30 honorees for the award to be recognized in September. Nine finalists will emerge from Top 30 and the 2021 NCAA Woman of the Year will be announced later this fall
In July, Markel was one of 535 women nominated for the 2021 award. Conference offices then select up to two nominees each from their pool of member school nominees. All nominees who compete in a sport not sponsored by their school's primary conference, as well as associate conference nominees and independent nominees, will be considered by a selection committee.
This is the second year in a row Markel has been nominated and the first year she earns the honor to represent the AAC. Next, the Woman of the Year selection committee, made up of representatives from the NCAA membership, will choose the Top 30 honorees — 10 from each division - to be in the running as a finalist.
Markel has been an all-around success in and out of competition for the last five seasons. She received the 2020 Cincinnati C-Ring Women's Leadership Award, an honor given annually to one graduating senior woman that represents a legacy of Cincinnati undergraduate women who exemplify advocacy for women and girls, a commitment to the University and the community, and academic excellence
In 2021, she earned the Helen Norman Smith Award for her academic and athletic success as a Bearcat, which is one of the most prestigious awards a UC student-athlete can receive.
Academically, she graduated with a degree in marketing in 2019 and has been working towards her MBA. A multi-time American All-Academic Team member, Markel carried a 3.598 undergraduate GPA and was a member of Cincinnati's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). During the 2020-21 season, she was named to the AAC All-Academic Team. Other notable academic achievements: she was Bearcat strong every season from 2016-2020, made the Deans List seven times, was on the honor roll every semester, and was a Jean Stephens award nominee in 2020 and 2021.
Athletically, she currently ranks second all-time for the Bearcats in the outdoor 10,000 meter and seventh all time in the outdoor 5,000 meter. On the indoor track, she broke the school record in the 3,000m run with a time of 9:40.55 and still holds the number one spot on the Bearcats All-Time list. She also ranks third on the list in the indoor mile.
Along with her initiative – Inspire, Equip, Connect (aimed at building resiliency in female student-athletes by equipping them with the strategies they need to overcome failure – Markel was actively involved the Bearcats United social justice movement.
Rooted in Title IX, the NCAA Woman of the Year Award was established in 1991 to recognize graduating female student-athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves in academics, athletics, service and leadership throughout their collegiate careers. The nominees represent all three NCAA divisions, including 259 nominees from Division I, 126 from Division II and 220 from Division III. Nominees competed in 24 sports, with multi-sport student-athletes accounting for 128 of the nominees.
PREVIOUSLY NOMINATED
Dating back to 2016, UC has now nominated 10 individuals for the illustrious award with many hailing from the track & field/cross country program. Previous nominees included Ericka Hurd (TF) and Emma Roberson (VB) in 2016; Juliana Madzia (TF/XC), a Top 30 selection, in 2017; Kellsa Mbah (TF) and Jordan Cotleur (WSOC), a conference nominee, in 2018, Loretta Blaut (TF) and Annette Echikunwoke (TF) in 2019, and Jordan Thompson, along with Markel herself, in 2020.
NEXT UP FOR THE AWARD
From the Top 30, the Woman of the Year selection committee will determine the top three honorees in each division and announce nine finalists. The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics then will choose the 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year, who will be named this fall. For more information on the award, visit: http://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/events/awards/ncaa-woman-year-nomination-and-award-process
Markel and Woods join 150 other conference-level nominees on the national ballot, with the Top 30 honorees for the award to be recognized in September. Nine finalists will emerge from Top 30 and the 2021 NCAA Woman of the Year will be announced later this fall
In July, Markel was one of 535 women nominated for the 2021 award. Conference offices then select up to two nominees each from their pool of member school nominees. All nominees who compete in a sport not sponsored by their school's primary conference, as well as associate conference nominees and independent nominees, will be considered by a selection committee.
This is the second year in a row Markel has been nominated and the first year she earns the honor to represent the AAC. Next, the Woman of the Year selection committee, made up of representatives from the NCAA membership, will choose the Top 30 honorees — 10 from each division - to be in the running as a finalist.
Markel has been an all-around success in and out of competition for the last five seasons. She received the 2020 Cincinnati C-Ring Women's Leadership Award, an honor given annually to one graduating senior woman that represents a legacy of Cincinnati undergraduate women who exemplify advocacy for women and girls, a commitment to the University and the community, and academic excellence
In 2021, she earned the Helen Norman Smith Award for her academic and athletic success as a Bearcat, which is one of the most prestigious awards a UC student-athlete can receive.
Academically, she graduated with a degree in marketing in 2019 and has been working towards her MBA. A multi-time American All-Academic Team member, Markel carried a 3.598 undergraduate GPA and was a member of Cincinnati's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). During the 2020-21 season, she was named to the AAC All-Academic Team. Other notable academic achievements: she was Bearcat strong every season from 2016-2020, made the Deans List seven times, was on the honor roll every semester, and was a Jean Stephens award nominee in 2020 and 2021.
Athletically, she currently ranks second all-time for the Bearcats in the outdoor 10,000 meter and seventh all time in the outdoor 5,000 meter. On the indoor track, she broke the school record in the 3,000m run with a time of 9:40.55 and still holds the number one spot on the Bearcats All-Time list. She also ranks third on the list in the indoor mile.
Along with her initiative – Inspire, Equip, Connect (aimed at building resiliency in female student-athletes by equipping them with the strategies they need to overcome failure – Markel was actively involved the Bearcats United social justice movement.
Rooted in Title IX, the NCAA Woman of the Year Award was established in 1991 to recognize graduating female student-athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves in academics, athletics, service and leadership throughout their collegiate careers. The nominees represent all three NCAA divisions, including 259 nominees from Division I, 126 from Division II and 220 from Division III. Nominees competed in 24 sports, with multi-sport student-athletes accounting for 128 of the nominees.
PREVIOUSLY NOMINATED
Dating back to 2016, UC has now nominated 10 individuals for the illustrious award with many hailing from the track & field/cross country program. Previous nominees included Ericka Hurd (TF) and Emma Roberson (VB) in 2016; Juliana Madzia (TF/XC), a Top 30 selection, in 2017; Kellsa Mbah (TF) and Jordan Cotleur (WSOC), a conference nominee, in 2018, Loretta Blaut (TF) and Annette Echikunwoke (TF) in 2019, and Jordan Thompson, along with Markel herself, in 2020.
NEXT UP FOR THE AWARD
From the Top 30, the Woman of the Year selection committee will determine the top three honorees in each division and announce nine finalists. The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics then will choose the 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year, who will be named this fall. For more information on the award, visit: http://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/events/awards/ncaa-woman-year-nomination-and-award-process