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 named the Ohio Athletic Conference honoree for the 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year award.

Brennan is one 161 college athletes to be named a conference-level nominee for the 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year Award. The nominees represent student-athletes from 21 different sports spanning all three NCAA divisions. Of those nominated, 59 nominees competed in Division I, 39 in Division II and 63 in Division III. Next, conference-level nominations will be forwarded to the NCAA Woman of the Year Selection Committee, which will choose the top 10 honorees in each of the three NCAA divisions. The Top 30 honorees will be celebrated in September and the 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year 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.