INDIANAPOLIS – Cedarville graduate Rachel Bredeson has been named a Top 30 honoree by the Woman of the Year Selection Committee for the 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year Award.
A cross country and track & field standout, Bredeson posted a perfect 4.0 GPA in her pharmacy studies as both an undergrad and graduate student at Cedarville University.
Academically, the middle distance runner accumulated a host of awards including being named the Great Midwest Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, she earned the Great Midwest Elite 25 Awards for both indoor and outdoor track & field, and was also the 2021 NCAA Elite 90 Award winner for having the top GPA at the outdoor national meet.
A native of Xenia, Ohio, Bredeson was a team captain for Cedarville in both cross country and track & field. As a graduate student, she also served as president of the Student National Pharmacist Association and chair of the Student College of Clinical Pharmacy Central Nervous System PRN.
She placed sixth in the nation in the steeplechase to earn All-American honors after placing third at the Great Midwest championships.
“The Great Midwest extends our congratulations to Rachel on being recognized as a NCAA Woman of the Year Top 30 honoree,” said Tom Daeger, Commissioner of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. “Rachel was a superb student-athlete during her years in the league and a terrific representative of both Cedarville and the Great Midwest.”
Selected from 577 school nominees — a group that was then narrowed to 156 nominees at the conference level — the Top 30 honorees include 10 from each of the three NCAA divisions. Each honoree has demonstrated excellence in academics, athletics, community service and leadership. The honorees represent 14 sports and include nine multisport student-athletes. They have a variety of majors, including biological and biomedical engineering, psychology, business, digital communications, education, nursing, law and policy, and robotics.
“As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Title IX, we recognize the impact of women on college sports and are honored to select 30 incredible student-athletes who have played instrumental roles on their campus, in their community and on their teams,” said Renie Shields, chair of the Woman of the Year Selection Committee and senior associate athletics director/senior woman administrator at Saint Joseph’s. “This accomplished and diverse group of women represent the millions of student-athletes who have participated in the strong history of women’s sports.”
The selection committee will select three honorees from each NCAA division, for a total of nine finalists. From those finalists, the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics will choose the 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year.
For the first time in the award’s history, the NCAA Woman of the Year will be named and the Top 30 will be celebrated at the NCAA Convention, which will be held in January in San Antonio.