Cynthia Mejia, Alum of Stan State, has been selected by the CCAA as one of its two nominees for the NCAA Woman of the Year award.
 
Established in 1991, the NCAA Woman of the Year award is rooted in Title IX and recognizes graduating female college athletes who have exhausted their NCAA eligibility and distinguished themselves in academics, athletics, service, and leadership throughout their collegiate careers.
 
Mejia, as a senior cross country and track & field student-athlete for Stanislaus State, she was one of the top distance runners in the country in 2020. After posting the 12th fastest time in the country in the 5,000-meter in 2019, Mejia was back in action in 2020 and earned All-American honors in the 3,000-meter and 5,000-meter races during the indoor track & field season. She qualified for nationals in both events and was one of the favorites heading into the championships before they were cut short due to the pandemic. Her name will forever be etched in the Stan State record books as she was named the school's Female Athlete of the Year and is the school record holder in both the mile and the 10k.
 
Mejia had a 3.46 GPA as a business administration major, with a concentration in marketing. She also earned a minor in communication studies. This Tulare native is a four-year member of the Dean's List and a USTFCCCA Scholar-Athlete. Mejia has been named to the CCAA Academic Honor Roll and previously selected as a Presidential Scholar-Athlete.
 
Additionally, Mejia has put in efforts to enhance her community. She helped Stan State plan and coordinate National Girls and Women's Sports Day events, including community outreach. She served as a peer mentor on the Warriors' campus helping her fellow students academically and with campus outreach programs such as new student orientation.
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Currently, Mejia is in the Masters of Arts program at University of San Francisco to earn her degree in Sports Management.  
 
The 154 nominees represent student-athletes from 18 different sports spanning all three NCAA divisions. Of those nominated, 58 nominees competed in Division I, 36 in Division II, and 60 in Division III. Click here to see the complete list of NCAA Woman of the Year conference nominees.
 
The Woman of the Year Selection Committee, made up of representatives from the NCAA membership, will now choose the Top 10 honorees from the conference-level nominees. The Top 10 honorees will be announced in September. The selection committee will determine the top three honorees and the finalists will be announced this fall. From those finalists, the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics then will choose the 2021 NCAA Woman of the Year.