Indianapolis - The NCAA announced a list of 517 school nominees for their 2016 Woman of the Year award on Tuesday afternoon. Among the nominees were three student-athletes from the East Coast Conference; Tracey Balinskas of Molloy, Dina Ragab of NYIT, and Marlena Wright of University of the District of Columbia.

Balinskas was a softball standout for the Lions. A four-time All-Conference selection, she was the ECC Player of the Year in 2015 and the Co-Most Outstanding Player of the ECC Championship in 2016. Balinskas was also the ECC Softball Co-Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2016.

Ragab excelled on the basketball court for the Bears, becoming the program's all-time leading scorer and shot blocker. She earned ECC Player of the Year honors and was also named a WBCA Honorable Mention All-American in 2016. Ragab was an Academic All-American and also named the ECC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2016.

Wright was a two-time All-American as a member of the Firebirds track & field 4 x 400 meter relay team. Her resume off the track was even more extensive, earning ECC Outdoor Track & Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year and the conference's most prestigious award, the Excellence in Community and Character award, for her numerous work with extracurricular groups on UDC's campus in addition to her athletic and academic achievements.

The NCAA Woman of the Year award honors graduating female college athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in academics, athletics, service and leadership.

Next, conferences assess their member school nominees and select up to two conference nominees. The Woman of the Year selection committee, made up of representatives from the NCAA membership, will then choose the top 30 honorees – 10 from each division.
From the top 30, the selection committee determines the top three honorees from each division and announces the nine finalists in September. The NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics then chooses from among those nine to determine the 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year.

The top 30 honorees will be celebrated and the 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year winner will be announced at the annual award ceremony Oct. 16 in Indianapolis.

Portions of the release provided by Meghan Durham, NCAA Assistant Director of Public and Media Relations.