Lakewood, N.J. - Hanna Thrainsdottir has been awarded Georgian Court University's nomination for the prestigious 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year.

Now in its 32nd year, the NCAA Woman of the Year award honors graduating female student-athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers. Nominees for the honor meet the four pillars of the Woman of the Year Award, which are academics, athletics, service and leadership.

A native of Hafnarfjordur, Iceland, Thrainsdottir graduated from GCU this past spring, earning a perfect grade-point average of 4.00 with a dual major of digital communication and psychology. A four-year standout on the women's basketball roster, Hanna closed out her collegiate career on the Lions' outdoor track and field roster, specializing in the high jump.

The 6'0" scholar-athlete has been a superstar in the classroom throughout her time sporting the royal and gold, a resume that includes four CACC All-Academic selections, induction into Chi Alpha Sigma (College Athlete Honor Society), the 2021 CACC Top XVI award, and the exclusive Fulbright Fellowship for the 2022-23 academic year. Thrainsdottir will attend New York University this fall to begin her studies towards her graduate degree with a goal of earning a Ph.D. and pursuing a career in higher education research and teaching.

Hanna also served as president of GCU's LGBTQ student organization and also participated on the GCU Council for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion as an active contributor to its programming committee.

Among the team's career leaders in blocked shots, Hanna played a vital role in leading the Lions to an undefeated regular-season record in 2021, which included the first CACC regular-season crown for women's basketball as an NCAA Division II program, and the programs's first-ever appearance in the NCAA East Regional tournament.

The Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference will now forward conference-level nominations to the NCAA Woman of the Year Selection Committee, which will choose the top 10 honorees in each of the three NCAA divisions. The NCAA will announce the Top 30 honorees on ncaa.org in October. 

From those 30 candidates, the selection committee determines the top three finalists in each division. The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics will select the Woman of the Year from the nine finalists.Member schools nominated 577 graduating student-athletes for the 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year award. This year's nominees represent all three divisions, including 248 from Division I, 127 from Division II and 202 from Division III. Of the 577 nominations, 23 sports are represented, with 125 student-athletes competing in multiple sports. 

The 2022 NCAA Woman of the Year will be announced during an award ceremony at the NCAA Convention in January. You can learn more about the award, selection process and previous winners at ncaa.org/woty.