NCAA Champion Margo Geer In the Running For NCAA Woman of the Year

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

The University of Arizona swimming and diving program has a strong history with the NCAA Woman of the Year honor, receiving the award three times since 2007. The Wildcats could have another entry into the prestigious group of athletes, with the announcement that NCAA champion Margo Geer is the Pac 12’s winner of the conference’s Woman of the Year honor.

With the distinction comes the nomination to the NCAA Woman of the Year award, which will be selected later this year. Geer could become the fourth Arizona swimmer to win the award joining the following names:

Whitney Myers, 2007
Lacey Mymeyer, 2009
Justine Schluntz, 2010

The Pac 12 Woman of the Year award — as well as the NCAA Woman of the Year honor — recognizes student-athletes not only for their prowess in their sports but for their accomplishments away from athletics. Geer certainly achieved a lot in her time as a Wildcat, winning the 100 free NCAA title in 2013 and 2014 as well as the 50 free in 2013. She was heavily involved in various activities at the university and around Tucson, Ariz., during her collegiate career, as the following press release from the Pac 12 Conference will attest:

Margo Geer (Milford Center, Ohio) is an accomplished student-athlete in the pool and in the classroom, also volunteering in the community. A 27-time All-American, she was a member of the U.S. National Team from 2012-2015 traveling to compete at the World Championships in Kazan, Russia, in 2012. At the 2012 Olympic Trials, she placed 12th in the semifinals of 100-meter freestyle and advanced to the finals of the 50-meter freestyle where she placed seventh.

Geer owns the school record in the 100-yard freestyle and won three NCAA titles in her career – one in the 50-yard freestyle and two in the 100-yard freestyle. She also helped to set school records in the 400-free relay, the 800-free relay and 400-medley relay. She won two Pac-12 individual freestyle titles in 2013, one at the 50-yard distance and another at 100-yards, while also helping the Wildcats win three relay crowns.

A business management major with a 3.66 grade point average, Geer graduated cum laude recording a 4.0 in her final two semesters. She was a two-time Academic All-Pac-12 selection and was named CSCAA Scholar All-American in 2013 and 2014, as well. In 2013, she was the winner in a business communications case competition and has actively participated in business-related research experiments at the Eller Collge of Management.

Geer served on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and attended the Pac-12 Leadership Conference which collaborated with all 12 institutions discussing issues associated with student-athletes. She has spent countless hours in the community, spending time at the Boys and Girls Club, YMCA, Casa Maria Soup Kitchen, Lend a Hand for Senior Citizens, The Havens Women’s Shelter, Special Olympics and local youth groups in a variety of sessions including organizing meets, speaking events and outreach.

Geer is the 10th student-athlete to be named Pac-12 Woman of the Year. Previous winners were: Chiney Ogwumike, STAN (2014); Brigetta Barrett, ARIZ (2013); Hilary Bach, ASU (2012); Annie Chandler, ARIZ (2011); Justine Schluntz, ARIZ (2010); Lacey Nymeyer, ARIZ (2009); Arianna Lambie, STAN (2008); Whitney Myers, ARIZ (2007); Kate Richardson, UCLA (2006). Geer is the sixth Wildcat to earn the honor. Four from the Conference have won the prestigious NCAA Woman of the Year honor.

The Pac-12 is allowed to submit a candidate who is a minority or international student-athlete for NCAA Woman of the Year and has selected Zoë Scandalis (San Diego, Calif.) of USC. Scandalis is a four-year letterwinner in tennis and has a 3.86 GPA in political economy. She is an ITA All-American and helped the Trojans win three Pac-12 titles.

Eligible female student-athletes are nominated by their member school. Each conference office then reviews the nominations from its member schools and submits its conference nominee to the NCAA. The NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee selects the Top 30 – 10 from each division and then three finalists from each division. The Committee on Women’s Athletics selects the winner from the Top 9.
All 30 Woman of the Year honorees will be recognized, and the 2015 Woman of the Year announced, at an awards dinner at the Westin Indianapolis on Sunday, October 18, 2015.

The above article is a press release submitted to Swimming World. To reach our audience, contact us at newsmaster@swimmingworldmagazine.com.

Name*

Email*

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use