September 4, 2002

MOUNT VERNON, IOWA . . . Former Central College volleyball standout Angie Nielsen (Ankeny, Iowa/Ankeny HS) was named the 2002 Woman of the Year for the state of Iowa by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The NCAA announced the recipients of the Award for 49 states and the District of Columbia in the September 2, 2002, issue of The NCAA News.

The Woman of the Year Award honors outstanding female student-athletes who have excelled in academics, athletics and community leadership, and is open to student-athletes at NCAA Division I, II and III institutions in the each state.

“This is a fantastic honor for Angie and she is a tremendous source of pride for the Iowa Conference. To be selected from among all the female student-athletes from every NCAA college and university in Iowa, speaks volumes for the quality of the women and men in our programs,” IIAC Commissioner John Cochrane said. “Angie’s achievements in the classroom, on the court and her significant contributions to her community, epitomize what it means to be a student-athlete in the Iowa Conference and to fulfill the educational missions of our institutions. She is an incredible athlete, but more importantly, a wonderful person and role model for young people everywhere.”

Nielsen, one of 11 Division III recipients nationally, was the 2001 Iowa Conference Most Valuable Player after leading Central to its sixth consecutive IIAC title and a top seed in the NCAA Central Regional Tournament. She concluded her collegiate career with 5,752 assists which ranks fourth on the NCAA Division III all-time list. She was a three-time All-America and a four-time All-Conference selection.

Academically, Nielsen graduated magna cum laude in May 2002 with a degree in sociology. She earned Dean’s List recognition each semester and was a Verizon Academic All-American® in 2000. She participated in a seven-week mission trip to Kenya where she taught reading skills to elementary students. She also completed an internship at a health center for the homeless in London and volunteered at the House of Mercy, a residential treatment center for women in Des Moines.

Nielsen’s former teammate, Candace Wilson, was the state of Iowa’s Woman of the Year in 2001.

From the 50 state winners, ten finalists for the National Woman of the Year will be selected and announced in the September 16, issue of The NCAA News. The National winner will be announced at the 2002 NCAA Woman of the Year dinner on November 2, in Indianapolis, Ind.

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