Indianapolis, Ind.— Franziska Weidner of the University of Hawai'i swimming and diving program was selected as a Top 30 honoree to the NCAA Woman of the Year award as announced by the selection committee on Tuesday.
 
The Top 30 honorees were selected from an initial pool of 585 school nominees, a program record. From there, the pool was narrowed by conference offices and a selection committee to move forward 151 nominees for consideration. The Top 30 honorees include 10 from each of the three NCAA divisions, and each has demonstrated excellence in academics, athletics, community service, and leadership. The honorees competed in 13 sports — including, for the first time, equestrian and rifle — and studied a broad range of academic majors, including neuroscience, anthropology, economics, chemical engineering, political science, and communication.
 
Weidner graduated from UH in May with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology. Since then, she has pursued her goals of becoming a professional swimmer in her home country of Germany. Over the summer she competed in a handful of international events including the Fina World Cup and the Fina World Championships.
 
While at UH Weidner secured her name as one of the best to ever compete in the swimming and diving program. In 2018 she was named an All-American in the 100 breast and was named the MPSF Female Swimmer of the year for a third consecutive season. She was also named to the CSCAA Scholar All-America Team as a senior while being placed on the MPSF All-Academic team for three straight seasons.
 
"This year's 30 honorees are remarkable women, representing well the thousands of women competing each year in college sports," said Karen Baebler, chair of the Woman of the Year selection committee and assistant athletics director for sport operations at the University of Washington. "They have excelled in sports and academics while serving their peers and communities, and we congratulate them for their many achievements."
 
In early October, the selection committee will announce the nine finalists, made up of three women from each NCAA division. From those finalists, the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics will select the 2019 NCAA Woman of the Year. The Top 30 will be celebrated and the Woman of the Year will be named Oct. 20 at a ceremony in Indianapolis.