INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. --- Former Eastern Mennonite University cross country and track & field standout Hannah Chappell-Dick was formally announced on Wednesday as the ODAC's nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year. Chappell-Dick recently graduated after a stellar career with the Royals that saw he earn the 2015-16 Marjorie Berkley Award as the ODAC's top female student-athlete.
This marks the 26th year that the NCAA has bestowed the Woman of the Year Award (#NCAAWOTY), which focuses on the four pillars of academics, athletics, service, and leadership. The 2016 class features nominees from 141 conferences with 51 student-athletes receiving bids from NCAA Division III leagues. Forty standouts, including Chappell-Dick, are multi-sport honorees.
Official NCAA Release
"It is our privilege to put forth Hannah as the ODAC's nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year," said ODAC Commissioner Brad Bankston. "She embodies exactly what we look for in NCAA Division III student-athletes, as has been evident by her performance in cross country and on the track as well as in the classroom at Eastern Mennonite and in her communities. The recognition she has received has been well-earned."
Chappell-Dick has a stable full of honors following four seasons as a cross country and track & field star for EMU. She was a five-time All-American, earning four of those thru her track exploits that include back-to-back runner-up finishes in the mile run at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track Championships. Three times she earned USTFCCCA South/Southeast Region Athlete of the Year distinction, while also garnering ODAC Indoor Championships Athlete of the Meet laurels in 2015.
The Bluffton, Ohio, native was a 12-time champion in ODAC track events, in addition to four seasons as an All-ODAC First Team cross country runner that culminated with an individual championship this past fall. She owns six ODAC records on the track -- the overall (4:54.32) and championship (5:03.54) marks in the indoor mile run, the overall (4:27.25) and championships (4:38.61) standards in the outdoor 1,500-meter run, the championship (2:11.80) record in the 800-meter run, and the championship mark (12:37.64) as a member of EMU's distance medley relay team in 2015.
In the classroom, Chappell-Dick excelled as a Biology major with minors in Coaching and Exercise Science as a member of EMU's honors program. She was a six-time recipient of ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete awards, earning each honor for cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track the past two seasons. A former Capital One Academic All-American (2015), as selected by CoSIDA, Chappell-Dick was a four-time honoree on the USTFCCCA All-Academic Track & Field Team in addition to two honors on the cross country squads. She was a four-time honoree on the All-ODAC Academic Team.
Chappell-Dick also shines in the community and on campus. Chappell-Dick, EMU's 2015-16 SAAC President, and teammate Alec Thibodeaux created FLASH Track Club, which is an after-school program serving 10-12 year olds. She worked with Big Brothers Big Sisters the past four years, as well as serving as a NEO Cross Country Camp Counselor during that span. Chappell-Dick completed a cross-cultural trip to Guatemala in 2014, attending language and cultural lessons through the Guatemala City's Semilla Seminary "CASAS" program.
"Hannah has been a special student-athlete and an amazing person," said EMU Director of Athletics Dave King. "Choosing a Division III school over other opportunities demonstrates her desire to fully integrate athletics, academics, service and student life. She engaged all of her opportunities to experience the breadth and depth of the college experience. Her commitment to excellence in all areas of college life has been rewarded with personal joy and satisfaction in her own life and in the lives of others she has impacted during her time at EMU. It is a privilege and honor to nominate Hannah for the NCAA Woman of the Year."
For more information, visit the websites of the participating schools, or go to the ODAC's home on the Internet atwww.odaconline.com. Don't forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook and follow the ODAC on Twitter at @odacathletics.