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Former NKU track standout BriAuna Keys tabbed as Horizon League nominee for NCAA Woman of the Year


Former Northern Kentucky University track and field standout BriAuna Keys has been selected as a conference-level honoree for the 2019 NCAA Woman of the Year award.

After receiving the Woman of the Year nomination from NKU in June, Keys’ achievements were discussed in comparison to other Horizon League nominees. Out of 200,000 women that play college athletics, only 149 conference-level honorees are selected for further consideration for 2019 NCAA Woman of the Year.

Keys graduated summa cum laude this spring with a GPA of 3.971 as a double-major in accounting and business information systems. She was an important contributor for the Norse track and field program, where she helped the 4x400m relay take first place, as well as finish fifth in the 400m and the 4x100m relay, at the 2019 Horizon League Outdoor Track and Field Championship.

BriAuna Keys

Along with her exceptional athletic pursuits, Keys is a recipient of NKU’s prestigious Regents Award, which is given to a senior student who has demonstrated professionalism and leadership within the university community, and received the Horizon League’s Cecil N. Coleman Medal of Honor for exemplifying the dignity and high purpose of the league.

She has also been named to the Horizon League All-Academic Team five times, as well as the College Sports Information Directors of America’s 2019 Google Cloud Academic All-District Team.

Keys showcased a passion of being extensively involved in the NKU community. Along with representing the track and field program on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, she was a Supported Higher Education Project peer mentor, a Learning Plus tutor for business courses and a R.O.C.K.S. mentor, in which she acted as a role model to African-American students at NKU.

The NCAA Woman of the Year award honors the academic achievements, athletics excellence, community service and leadership of graduating female college athletes across all three of the NCAA’s divisions. This year’s edition of the program had a record 585 nominees for the award.

All conference-level nominations for the award will be forwarded to the NCAA Woman of the Year Selection Committee, which will select 10 honorees from each of the NCAA’s divisions. After three finalists from each division are chosen, the selection process will culminate with the announcement of the 2019 NCAA Woman of the Year on Oct. 20 in Indianapolis.

From NKU Athletics Communications


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