Women's Swimming | 6/27/2017 2:09:00 PM

Indianapolis, Ind.----Wingate University senior swimming student-athlete Vika Arkhipova ('17, Seversk, Russia) is a nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year award, NCAA officials announce Tuesday. A record 543 NCAA female student-athletes are 2017 Woman of the Year nominees as named by conferences and independent schools.
 
"I am thrilled for Vika," Wingate head men's and women's swimming coach Kirk Sanocki says. "She is an outstanding representative of our University. Vika epitomizes everything the NCAA Woman of the Year award represents."
 
June has been an eventful month for Arkhipova, as she was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America® at-large first team for the second year in a row. In addition, she received CSCAA Scholar All-American accolades for the fourth time in four tries.
 
A marketing major, Arkhipova completed her WU career with a 3.92 GPA. She graduated summa cum laude (with University honors) at Wingate's May 20 Commencement Exercises. Arkhipova made the Wingate President's List eight of eight semesters. She won the Zeta Tau Award at Wingate's Academic Awards night in April.
 
Arkhipova had five All-American swims at the 2017 NCAA Division II national championship meet. She finished second in the 200 Backstroke and the 400 Freestyle Relay as Wingate claimed third place on the team leader board. The Bulldogs were second at the 2017 Bluegrass Mountain Conference meet in Charlotte as Arkhipova won four silver medals (two individual and two relay).
 
In 2016, Arkhipova and her teammates finished a school-record second place at NCAAs. She was a part of two national championship swims in the 400 Medley Relay and the 200 Backstroke. The Bulldogs set a national record in the 400 Medley Relay with their triumphant time of 3:37.80. She was a five-time All-American at the same NCAA event. Arkhipova earned six All-BMC trophies at the 2016 league meet, winning the BMC 200 Backstroke in the process.
 
As a sophomore, Arkhipova was a 2015 individual All-American (200 Back) and a three-time All-BMC choice. As a freshman, Arkhipova helped Wingate win the 2014 BMC meet. She was All-BMC in the 100 and the 200 Backstroke and a three-time All-American (200 Backstroke plus two relays) the same season.
 
Arkhipova has logged hundreds of volunteer service hours. "The best experience I have ever had was at Wingate Elementary School, where I went every year to share the Russian culture with the kids," Arkhipova says. "It was amazing to watch them grow."
 
She volunteered four years with Wingate's nationally-recognized Special Olympics Swimming venue. During the summers following her freshman and sophomore years, Arkhipova and her long-time swimming coach ran a summer swim camp for children ages 7-11 in her hometown of Seversk, Russia.
 
"I always push myself to be the best in everything I do, while inspiring others to do the same," Arkhipova says. "The swimming program at Wingate allowed me to turn from the ugly duckling into the beautiful swan who is ready to change people's lives for the better. I am thankful for everything and everyone at Wingate University."
 
Arkhipova is one of several beneficiaries of the new NCAA Woman of the Year selection process for 2017. All nominees who compete in a sport which is not sponsored by their core conference (Arkhipova and her teammates compete in the Bluegrass Mountain Conference) will be sent to a separate pool to be considered by a committee (along with associate conference nominees and independent nominees). The committee will then decide up to two nominees to move forward to the conference round.
 
NCAA WOMAN OF THE YEAR FUN FACTS

A record 543 female college athletes have been nominated by NCAA member schools for the 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year award. Wingate will have two student-athletes vying for this year's award. Arkhipova joins South Atlantic Conference nominee (and Wingate soccer All-American) Kaitlyn Brunworth as a nominee for this prestigious honor.
 
Established in 1991 and now in its 27th year, the NCAA Woman of the Year award honors graduating female college athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves in academics, athletics, service and leadership throughout their collegiate careers.
 
The school nominees represent all three NCAA divisions, with 229 from Division I, 117 from Division II and 197 from Division III. The nominees competed in 21 different women's sports, and 122 were multisport athletes during their time in college.
 
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 will select up to two conference nominees each from the pool of school 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 the 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year from those nine.
 
The top 30 honorees will be recognized and the 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year will be announced at the annual award ceremony Oct. 22 in Indianapolis.
 
WINGATE UNIVERSITY
 
Wingate University, consistently ranked as a top 10 "best value" in the South by U.S. News & World Report, serves more than 3,200 students on three campuses in Wingate, Charlotte and Hendersonville, N.C. Founded in 1896, the University offers 35 undergraduate majors, 35 minors, 12 career concentrations, nine pre-professional programs, master's degrees in accounting, business, education, physician assistant studies and sport management and doctorates in education, pharmacy and physical therapy.
 
With a 14 to 1 student/teacher ratio, Wingate students gain the tools and support needed to excel in academics and apply that learning toward an extraordinary career and life. To view current news, video and story ideas, visit www.youtube.com/wingateuniversity. 
 
In addition to a robust intramural athletics program, Wingate student athletes compete in 22 NCAA Division II sports. The University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past 11 years. For more information, go to www.wingate.edu.
 
Wingate is first among NCAA Division II Academic All-America®-producing colleges in the 2000's with 96 selections. Among North Carolina's colleges and universities, Wingate is number one in this millennium with 96 Academic All-America® honorees. Wingate is tops among all SAC schools with 105 lifetime Academic All-America® picks. For more information on WU athletics, go to www.wingatebulldogs.com.