INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Mount Union women's track and field graduate Madison Miles (Brunswick, OH/Padua Franciscan) was named to the 2024 NCAA Woman of the Year Award Top 30, the Woman of the Year Selection Committee announced today. The prestigious 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.
 
Miles is the first Mount Union student-athlete to advance as a finalist for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award, and just the third Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) student-athlete ever to advance as a finalist – the first in over 20 years. Tammy Venema (Wilmington, 2001) and Stacey Williams (Wilmington, 1997) were both State Winners.
 
"Being nominated for the Top 30 NCAA Woman of the Year Award is unreal!" said Miles. "Coming into college track and field, I had only hoped to make strong bonds with my teammates and have some fun competing. Somehow, I got that and so much more, seeing how this has all played out is truly worthwhile and so rewarding. This honor is not only a testament to me, but to my mom, grandma, and late grandfather who have consistently sacrificed to allow me to have these opportunities. To the women I train with, the women who inspire me, and to my Mount Union T&F family that I love so much."
 
Selected from a record-breaking 627 nominees submitted by member schools — a group that was then narrowed to 168 nominees at the conference level — the Top 30 honorees include 10 from each of the three NCAA divisions.
 
"Maddy embodies everything you want in a student-athlete," said Mount Union Head Coach Kevin Lucas.  "She is dedicated on the track, in the classroom and to the campus community. Her desire to be the best at whatever she does is what makes her so special.  As a teammate, she truly cares about her fellow team members and their development on and off the track. It is an honor to have had the opportunity to work with Maddy in her time here at Mount Union."
 
On the track, Miles earned multiple U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Association All-America honors and has won multiple conference championships in the 400 meters and various relay events, while setting a national record and several school records in relay events. She has served on the International Education Committee as a student representative to advocate for and improve international student education and international education on campus and served as president, vice president and social media chair of Mount Union's chapter of Active Minds, an organization dedicated to promoting mental health. In the classroom, Miles graduated magna cum laude and earned a pair of College Sports Communicators All-District honors and multiple USTFCCCA All-Academic honors and Academic All-OAC recognitions. She has participated in Case Western Reserve's Cancer-focused Summer Undergraduate Research program, researching gene silencing and its potential for cancer therapeutics. Additionally, she has volunteered at a local domestic violence shelter, providing support for women and children, and has tutored students on campus.
 
The selection committee will determine 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 2024 NCAA Woman of the Year.
 
At the NCAA Convention in January, the NCAA Woman of the Year will be named, and the Top 30 will be celebrated.