Indianapolis, Ind.----Wingate University women's swimming graduate Sara Aringsmann ('21, Munich, Germany) has been selected as a conference-level nominee for the 2021 NCAA Woman of the Year Award, officials announce this week. Aringsmann is an independent WOTY nominee from the Bluegrass Mountain Conference.
 
Aringsmann graduated with honors at Wingate's May commencement exercises. Presently, she is an intern with BMW, working on start-up management and data analysis for the new BMW i4 launching in 2022. Following the internship's December conclusion, Aringsmann is planning to pursue a master's degree in mathematics in science and engineering at the Technical University in Munich.
 
Rooted in Title IX and directed by the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics, the NCAA Woman of the Year program celebrates the accomplishments of female college athletes across all three NCAA divisions. For 31 years, this program has honored the academic achievements, athletics excellence and community service and leadership of outstanding female college athletes.
 
Sara Aringsmann
('21, mathematics major, physics minor)
 
- Aringsmann graduated magna cum laude with a 3.65 GPA in May
- 2021 Wingate female Athlete of the Year (shared with volleyball's Shannon Kasprak)
- Collected five first team All-American swims (two individual, three relay) at 2021 NCAAs
- Finished fifth in the 100 Freestyle and eighth in the 200 Individual Medley
- Member of three top-five NCAA relay finishes in Birmingham (200 and 400 Medley, 400 Free)
- Wingate finished sixth at the 2021 NCAAs, one point behind fifth-place Grand Valley State
- Posted seven All-BMC swims at 2021 league meet as 'Dogs took second place
- Aringsmann completed WUSWIM career with 11 first team All-American swims
- Volunteer involvement included Wingate Special Olympics Swimming (two years)
- WUSWIM Volunteer Service Day highlighted local acts of kindness (three years)
- Taught swimming lessons to community children (four years)
- Member, Wingate Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), 2018-21
 
Woman of the Year next steps
 
All conference nominees are forwarded to the Woman of the Year selection committee, which chooses the top 30 honorees—10 from each Division. From the top 30, the selection committee determines the top three nominees from each Division and announces the top nine finalists in September. The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics then chooses from among those nine to determine the 2021 NCAA Woman of the Year. The 2021 NCAA Woman of the Year winner will be announced this fall.
 
Woman of the Year by the numbers
 
There are 154 conference-level nominees who remain in the running for the 2021 NCAA Woman of the Year Award. The nominees represent student-athletes from 18 different sports spanning all three NCAA divisions. Of those nominated, 58 nominees competed in Division I, 36 in Division II and 60 in Division III. The original nomination pool included 535 female student-athletes.
 
Wingate University
 
Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a laboratory of difference-making that serves more than 3,600 students in North Carolina. Wingate offers 37 undergraduate majors as well as eight master's and five doctoral degrees. The University is home to the Cannon College of Arts and Sciences; the Levine College of Health Sciences; the Byrum School of Business; and the College of Professional Studies, which includes the Thayer School of Education and the School of Sport Sciences.
 
Wingate is a leader in healthcare education, and nearly one in five Wingate undergraduate students is preparing to be a pharmacist, physician assistant, physical therapist, occupational therapist or nurse. Student-athletes on Wingate's 23 teams compete in NCAA Division II and have brought home the SAC Echols Athletic Excellence Award for 13 years straight. The University's motto is "Faith, Knowledge, Service." View current news and videos at www.wingate.edu.