Aurora University Athletics

Aurora University and the athletic department announced the 2019-2020 recipient of the Spartan Woman of the Year Award. The honor has been bestowed upon recent AU graduate Reilly Armstrong. The Spartan Woman of the Year award honors a graduating female student-athlete athletes who has exhausted her eligibility and distinguished herself throughout her collegiate careers in academics, athletics, service and leadership.

With being the AU Woman of the Year, Reilly Armstrong joins a distinguished list of female student-athletes from NCAA conferences and independent schools who have nominated female student-athletes for the 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year Award. These women represent college athletes spanning all three NCAA divisions.

"Completing your undergraduate and graduate degree in four years is impressive to say the least. Reilly is the kind of student-athlete every coach wants in their program, someone who excels in every facet of their collegiate career while leaving the program better than they arrived in it," said said AU Associate Director of Athletics for Student-Athlete Wellbeing / Senior Woman Administrator Nicki Pieart. "The recent success of the AU women's lacrosse team is due in large part to Reilly's prowess in net. She is a leader on and off the field and we are proud to call her our Spartan Woman of the Year."

In her time as a Spartan in the women's lacrosse program, Armstrong, a graduating senior had a successful career honors list. She was named a 2020 CoSIDA Second-Team ACademic All-America and an All-District selection. Armstrong completed her undergrad and masters in accounting at AU in four years with a perfect 4.0 grade point average while being a four-time Midwest Women's Lacrosse Conference All-Academic selection, Aurora University Spartan Scholar and AU Dean's List. In goal on the women's lacrosse team, Armstrong held a 34-23 career record with a 8.71 gaa and .482 save percentage. She was a all-conference selection as a junior and conference freshman of the year in 2017 while being named the AU Chris Thompson recipient for 2019-2020.

In the community, Armstrong excelled, serving as member and secretary for the AU finance association and working in the center for student success. Armstrong gave back to the greater AU community as she took part in Project Linus, National Girls & Women in Sports Day, Aurora Area Interfaith food pantry, the AU morning of service, Lax attacks cancer and the Rob Wolter 5k and lacrosse benefit game. In her hometown of Houston, Texas, she is an annual participant in the Houston Turkey Trot 5/10k fundraiser. 

"I can not think of a more deserving person for the Spartan Woman of the Year Award than Reilly Armstrong," said AU women's lacrosse Head Coach Christina Fried. "Her athletic and academic success speak for themselves. The reasons why Reilly stands out so much to me is because she takes on all she does with grit and grace. She is a strong leader, calm and confident at all times, and her positive attitude is contagious."

Additionally, Armstrong was the 2019-2020 Chris Thompson Award recipient. The annual award is presented to a senior female athlete who exemplifies the characteristics of dedication, determination, sportsmanship and faith throughout the academic year.  This award, given since 1970, is a memorial to the late Chris Thompson who died of cancer during her freshman year.   

ABOUT THE NCAA WOMAN OF THE YEAR PROCESS
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 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year.

Established in 1991, the NCAA Woman of the Year award recognizes graduating female college athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves in academics, athletics, service and leadership throughout their collegiate careers. The NCAA encourages member schools to honor their top graduating female student-athletes each year by submitting their names for consideration for the Woman of the Year award.