CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa --- Recent Luther College graduate Becca Girvan (Maple Grove, Minn. / Osseo) has been selected as the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference's nominee for the 2014 NCAA Woman of the Year Award.

The NCAA Woman of the Year Award honors senior student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership.

Every year, the NCAA encourages each member college and university to honor its top one or two graduating female student-athletes by submitting their names for consideration for the Woman of the Year award.

Each conference then selects one or two women from the nominees to represent the conference. Those names are then sent to the Woman of the Year selection committee, which chooses the top 10 honorees in each division.

A mathematics/statistics and economics double major who graduated with a 3.66 grade-point average, Girvan was inducted into a pair of national honor societies – Pi Mu Epsilon (mathematics) and Omicron Delta Epsilon (economics). She was an NFCA Scholar-Athlete, a CoSIDA Academic All-District pick and a member of the Iowa Conference All-Academic Team as both a junior and a senior.

Girvan, a pitcher on Luther's softball team, was a member of two Iowa Conference championship teams (2011, 2012), three Iowa Conference tournament championship teams (2011, 2013, 2014) and a trio of Norse squads that advanced to the finals of the NCAA Division III Softball Championship (2011, 2012, 2013). A four-time all-region (1st-2012, 2014; 2nd-2011, 2013) and all-conference selection (1st-2012, 2014; 2nd-2011, 2013), she was a 2012 NFCA First Team All-American and the 2012 Iowa Conference Pitcher of the Year. Girvan was also named the Most Outstanding Player at the NCAA softball regionals in 2012 and 2013.

In early September, the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics (CWA) selection committee will choose the top 10 honorees in each division. Later that month, the field of 30 candidates will be narrowed to three per division. Finally, the members of the CWA will vote from among the top nine finalists to determine the 2014 NCAA Woman of the Year.

The top 30 honorees will be honored, and the 2014 NCAA Woman of the Year winner will be announced, at the annual ceremony in Indianapolis on Oct. 19.

A total of 446 female student-athletes were nominated for the 2014 NCAA Woman of the Year award. Of those nominees, 209 participated in Division I, 75 participated in Division II, and 166 participated in Division III athletics.

Additional individuals from the Iowa Conference nominated for this year’s NCAA Woman of the Year Award included Central College softball player Jordan Overland (Boone, Iowa / Boone) and Wartburg College volleyball player Ramey Sieck (Fayette, Iowa / North Fayette).