PROVO, Utah – Former BYU women’s track star Nachelle Mackie has been selected as the 2013 NCAA Woman of the Year West Coast Conference honoree.
The Spanish Fork, Utah, native had one of the most successful individual seasons in BYU history in 2012 as she was the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor 800-meter national champion. At the Indoor Championships in Nampa, Idaho, she won with a school record time of 2:03.30.
At the Outdoor Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, Mackie won with a time of 2:01.06, the second-fastest outdoor 800-meter mark in BYU history. She is the only Cougar to win national championships in the same event at the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships in the same year.
In addition to her national championships in 2012, Mackie earned All-America honors in the distance medley relay and was the 800-meter champion at the MPSF Indoor Championships.
Following her stellar season, Mackie was named to the 2012 Capital One Academic All-America® Division I Women’s Track & Field/Cross Country Team.
Now in its 23rd year, the NCAA Woman of the Year Award honors female student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in academic achievement, athletics excellence, community service and leadership. To be eligible for the award, a female student-athlete must have completed her intercollegiate eligibility in her primary sport by the end of the 2012 spring season and graduated no later than summer 2012.
NCAA schools nominated 430 individuals, spanning NCAA Divisions I, II and III, for the national award, which reflects the growth in opportunity for women to achieve as students, leaders and athletes. A quarter of those honorees received the additional recognition by their sport conference for outstanding achievement in their collegiate career.
An announcement of the Top 30 honorees, 10 from each NCAA division, will be made on NCAA.org in early September. On Oct. 20 in Indianapolis, the NCAA will announce the 2013 Woman of the Year and will honor the top 30 nominees.