INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Recent SWOSU graduate Hailey Tucker of the Lady Bulldog Basketball team is among a record group of 585 female college athletes who have been nominated by NCAA member schools for the 2019 NCAA Woman of the Year award.
 
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.
 
"For the past four years, Hailey Tucker has been a fantastic representation of Southwestern Oklahoma State University and our Athletic Department," SWOSU Athletic Director Todd Thurman said. "While she thrived on the court, Hailey also took care of business in the classroom as a two-time Academic All-American, and she was always willing to lend a helping hand within our department and in our local community. It is our privilege to nominate Hailey Tucker for the NCAA Woman of the Year award!"
 
A native of Bartlesville, Tucker became the first four-time First Team All-Great American Conference selection in conference history and she was twice named the GAC Player of the Year. She graduated from SWOSU with 2,360 career points, which is the most in conference history and ranks second in school history. As a senior, she averaged 18.6 points and 7.0 rebounds per game while leading the Lady Bulldogs to a second consecutive GAC Championship along with a GAC Tournament crown and the program's first Central Regional Championship. Tucker was named First Team All-American by WBCA, Second Team by the Division II Bulletin and Third Team by D2CCA while also earning a Second Team Academic All-American selection as well. During the postseason, she was named to All-Tournament teams at the GAC Tournament, Central Regional Championships and the NCAA Division II Elite Eight.
 
In addition to her excellence on the court, Tucker was named a Second Team Academic All-American as a senior and she graduated from SWOSU in May with a 3.91 grade point average, majoring in Mass Communications with a minor in Sports Management. During her time in Weatherford, Tucker began preparing for a career in Sportscasting by working as the sideline reporter for Bulldog Football games and volunteering as a content specialist for SWOSU Athletics, with her work featured on SWOSUAthletics.com and social media outlets. Those career plans, however, will have to wait as Wednesday it was officially announced that Tucker is headed to Sweden to begin her professional playing career with Visby Ladies.
 
The nominees competed in 23 different sports across all three NCAA divisions, including 262 from Division I, 131 from Division II and 192 from Division III. Multisport student-athletes account for 144 of the nominees.
 
Next, conferences will select up to two nominees each from the pool of school nominees. Then, the Woman of the Year selection committee, made up of representatives from the NCAA membership, will choose the Top 30 honorees — 10 from each division.
 
The selection committee will determine the top three honorees from each division from the Top 30 and announce the nine finalists in September. From those nine finalists, the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics then will choose the 2019 NCAA Woman of the Year.
 
The Top 30 honorees will be celebrated and the 2019 NCAA Woman of the Year will be named at the annual award ceremony Oct. 20 in Indianapolis.