BEREA, Ohio – Baldwin Wallace University All-American, Academic All-American, All-Ohio Athletic Conference and Academic All-OAC cross country and track and field distance runner Kelly Brennan (Akron/Walsh Jesuit) has been selected for the 2020 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Woman of the Year Award.

Brennan is one of a record 605 total female college athletes nominated for the 2020 accolade.  The nominees represent all three NCAA divisions, including 259 nominees from Division I, 126 from Division II and 220 from Division III. Nominees competed in 24 sports, with multisport student-athletes accounting for 128 of the nominees.   The 605 nominees will be trimmed down to 30 honorees and then the Woman of the Year selection committee will determine the top three honorees in each division and announce nine finalists. The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics then will choose the 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year, who will be named this fall.

Rooted in Title IX, the NCAA Woman of the Year Award was established in 1991 to recognize graduating female student-athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves in academics, athletics, service and leadership throughout their collegiate careers.

In cross country and track and field, Brennan was an 18-time NCAA Division III All-Great Lakes Region performer (four cross country and 14 track), 17-time All-OAC selection (four cross country and 13 track), 13-time All-Ohio performer (four cross country and nine track), eight-time letterwinner (four in each sport), six-time Division III national qualifier (two cross country and four track) and four-time All-American (one cross country and three track).  She also holds five school-records indoors and four outdoors.

Off the course and track, Brennan was an accounting and finance double major that carried a 3.974 grade point average.  She is a two-time College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-American, five-time Academic All-OAC selection, two-time CoSIDA All-District 7 first-team selection, Dean's List student, Jacket Scholar and a member of the Alpha Lambda Delta and Chi Sigma Alpha honoraries.   

In addition, at BW, Brennan served as the President and Treasurer of the Accounting Association.  She also was a team leader and recruiter for the cross country and track and field programs.