HAMMOND, La. – Former Southeastern Louisiana women's tennis student-athlete Renee Villarreal is the Southland Conference nominee for the 2016 NCAA Women of the Year award, the NCAA announced on Thursday.
 
Villarreal, who finished her remarkable SLU career in May, is one of 142 female student-athletes spanning all three divisions that were nominated by NCAA conferences and independent schools. Of those recognized, Villarreal was among the 54 nominees from Division I and of four D-I tennis student-athletes, along with Rebeca Mitrea of DePaul, Howard's Stacey Roheman and San Diego's Marta Stojanovic.
 
In early September, the Woman of the Year selection committee will named the Top 30 honorees, representing the top 10 women in each division. The selection committee will then choose and announce the nine finalists, with three from each division, at the end of September.
 
Then, from the pool of nine finalists, the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics will determine the 2016 Woman of the Year. The Top 30 honorees will be celebrated and the 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year will be named at the annual banquet Oct. 16 in Indianapolis.
 
Villarreal's senior campaign saw her post one of the most decorated campaigns in Southeastern athletic history. On the way to becoming the first student-athlete in school to be named Southeastern Athlete of the Year three times, the Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico native won nearly every athletic and academic honor possible in 2016.
 
On the court, she was named the Player of the Year by both the Southland Conference and the Louisiana Sports Writers Association, earning first team All-Southland Conference and All-Louisiana honors. Villarreal was also an excellent performer in the classroom, as both were named CoSIDA Academic All-America, CoSIDA Academic All-District 6 and the Southland Conference Student-Athlete of the Year.
The first player in program history to be named first team All-Southland Conference four times, Villarreal was dominant on the No. 1 court in singles and doubles play. In singles play, she was 18-3 overall and 10-1 in league play, while teaming with sophomore Dalina Dahlmans for a 17-2 mark (9-1 Southland) in doubles action. She finished her remarkable Lion career with a 73-9 singles record – good for fourth on the program's all-time singles victories list.
 
The president of the Southeastern Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), Villarreal became the third Lion tennis student-athlete to earn Academic All-America honors. At the university's spring commencement honors in May, Villarreal, who graduated with a 4.0 grade point average in finance, received the President's Medal for Academic Excellence.
 
The NCAA Woman of the Year program has recognized graduation female student-athletes for excellence in academics, athletics, community service and leadership since its inception in 1991.
 
2016 NCAA Women of the Year Nominees (Division I)
Name – School – Conference – Sport(s)
Renee Villarreal – Southeastern Louisiana – Southland Conference – Tennis
Avery Acker – SMU – American Athletic Conference – Volleyball
Rachael Acker – California – Pac-12 Conference – Swimming & Diving
Eroncia Berry – Jackson State – Southwestern Athletic Conference – Soccer
Lauren Blazing – Duke – Atlantic Coast Conference – Field Hockey
Olivia Brooks – Fairfield University – Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference – Golf
Ashley Campbell – Dayton – Atlantic 10 Conference – Soccer
Hannah Carson – Tezas Tech – Big 12 Conference – Outdoor Track and Field
Caroline Casey – William & Mary – Colonial Athletic Association – Soccer
Katrina Coogan – Georgetown – Big East Conference – Cross Country/Track and Field
Kendal Coyne – Northeastern – Colonial Athletic Association – Ice Hockey
Sydney Crimmins – UMKC – Western Athletic Conference – Volleyball
Dior Delophont – Kent State – Mid-American Conference – Track and Field
DyTiesha Dunson – Florida Gulf Coast – Atlantic Sun Conference – Basketball
Taylor Ellis-Watson – Arkansas – Southeastern Conference – Track and Field
Kelly Freitas – UMass Lowell – America East Conference – Field Hockey
Courtney Frerichs – New Mexico – Mountain West Conference – Cross Country/Track and Field
Aundrea Gamble – Arkansas State – Sun Belt Conference – Basketball
Cheyenne Garcia – North Dakota State – The Summit League – Softball
Abby Gilleland – Ohio – Mid-American Conference – Volleyball
Ruth Hamblin – Oregon State – Pac-12 Conference – Basketball
Jenna Hebert – Pennsylvania – The Ivy League – Rowing
Christina Hillman – Iowa State – Big 12 Conference – Track and Field
Kelsey Holbert – Wisconsin-Milwaukee – Horizon League – Soccer
Breigh Jones – Austin Peay – Ohio Valley Conference – Track and Field
Sarah Kovan – Michigan State – Big Ten Conference – Soccer
Amanda Lucia – Wagner College – Northeast Conference – Swimming & Diving
Lucy Mason – UNC Greensboro – Southern Conference – Basketball
Lisa McCarthy – Northwestern – Big Ten Conference – Field Hockey
Haylie McCleney – Alabama – Southeastern Conference – Softball
Kara McCormack – Miami (Fla.) – Atlantic Coast Conference – Swimming & Diving
Rebeca Mitrea – DePaul – Big East Conference – Tennis
Alicia Payne – UT Chattanooga – Southern Conference – Basketball
Alex Porlier Langlois – Hawaii – Big West Conference – Track and Field
Danielle Ramirez – Southern Utah – Big Sky Conference – Gymnastics
Ashley Rininger – Liberty – Big South Conference – Basketball
Stacey Roherman – Howard – Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – Tennis
Ashley Rosch – Illinois State – Missouri Valley Conference – Volleyball
Melissa Ross – Richmond – Atlantic 10 Conference – Swimming & Diving
Monika Smidova – American University – Patriot League – Volleyball
Katie Spieler – Hawaii – Big West Conference – Beach Volleyball
Marta Stojanovic – San Diego – West Coast Conference – Tennis
Jamie Stokes-Day – Weber State – Big Sky Conference – Cross Country/Track and Field
Molly Templin – Portland – West Coast Conference – Rowing
Emily Tillo – Boston – Patriot League – Golf
Jennifer Tracy – North Carolina Central – Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference – Softball
Morgan Tuck – Connecticut – American Athletic Conference – Basketball
Carmeasha Turner – UTEP – Conference USA – Basketball
Clarie Uke – Rice – Conference USA – Track and Field
Adriana Vinas Joy – LIU-Brooklyn – Northeast Conference – Volleyball
Jasmine Walker – Monmouth – Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference – Basketball
Alexandra Wheatley – Princeton – The Ivy League – Basketball
Hannah Wittman – Belmont – Ohio Valley Conference – Cross Country/Track and Field