McLean County Times

Former Illinois Wesleyan University standout swimmer Ellen Gilbert (Northbrook, Ill.-Glenbrook North) was named one of 30 semifinalists, one of 10 in Division III, for the NCAA's Woman of the Year award Thursday, Oct. 13. The NCAA Woman of the Year award, now in its 32nd year in existence, is set to be presented today, Jan. 12, in San Antonio, Texas. The ceremony can be viewed by clicking here.

Gilbert is the first Titan to be named to the final 10 since 2018. She joins Amelia Glueck (track and field - 2018) and Lexi Baltes (women's basketball - 2014) as IWU's most recent honorees.

"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."

Gilbert, who graduated from IWU with a degree in psychology last spring, was a First Team NCAA All-American, three-time College Sports Communicators (formerly College Sports Information Directors of America) Academic All-America honoree, an eight-time College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin individual champion, and was twice voted the conference's Swimmer of the Year. 

She was inducted into the Psi Chi and Phi Kappa Phi national honor societies in 2021. On campus, Gilbert served on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and was co-president of the Rehabilitation Therapy Club and vice president of the Circle K International club. She also volunteered as a tutor for Teaching Buddies, a nonprofit created to help low-income Chicago students with pandemic-induced learning difficulties.

Among Division III semifinalists, Gilbert is joined by Elizabeth Chu (Stevens Institute of Technology - volleyball), Elaina Clancy (Dickinson - Cross Country & Track & Field), Karenna Groff (MIT - Soccer), Reagan Janzen (Nebraska Wesleyan - Track & Field), Sharde Johnson (Colby - Track & Field), Macy Klein (St. Catherine's - Swimming & Diving), Erin Nicholas (Middlebury - Field Hockey & Lacrosse), Kendall Sanders (Centenary - Gymnastics), and Sophie Srivastava (Chapman - Volleyball).

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.

Established in 1991, the award recognizes female student-athletes who have completed their undergraduate studies and distinguished themselves in their community, in athletics, and in academics throughout their college careers. 

Original source can be found here