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University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Photo by: Todd Drexler/SESPORTSMEDIA.com
Claudia Prieto Named Co-Big South Woman of the Year
07.25.2022 | Track and Field
BIG SOUTH RELEASE
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – UNC Asheville track & field student-athlete Claudia Prieto has been selected as one of Big South Conference's co-honorees for the Woman of the Year award in 2021-22. The conference's Woman of the Year award is sponsored by Big South Corporate Partner Musco Sports Lighting.
Earning her degree in Biology, Prieto graduated Summa Cum Laude with a 3.97 GPA while earning five track & field All-Conference medals for the Bulldogs.  This past season, she was voted the Big South Women's Indoor Track & Field and Outdoor Track & Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year, was the Big South's Women's Field Athlete of the Week during the indoor season, broke multiple school indoor records, and set personal-bests in both the 60-meter dash and triple jump during the indoor campaign.  Her time of 7.11 seconds in the 55-meter dash at the Appalachian Open last December ranks sixth all-time in Big South history, while her indoor long jump effort of 6.03m (19-09.50) at the Big South Championship is sixth-best in league annals in that event.  Prieto holds the program record in the outdoor triple jump and long jump, and her long jump of 6.09m (19-11.75) at April's VertKlasse Meeting is fifth on the conference's all-time performance list.  She capped her 2021-22 season by competing in the long jump at the NCAA East Preliminaries.
Off the track, Prieto was a SAAC representative for the track & field team, served as an on-campus student health ambassador the last two years, was a biology tutor, and graduated with distinction as an Undergraduate Research Scholar and a University Scholar.  She was part of the Honors Program at Asheville, presented at the Undergraduate Research Symposium, and her research paper was published in the UNCA Journal of undergraduate research this past year.  Prieto was also a member of the XAE National Athletic Honors Society, was a two-time Chancellor's List honoree and four-time Dean's List member.  She was named to the Big South's Academic Team for Indoor Track & Field (2020, 2021) and Outdoor Track & Field (2020, 2022).
Prieto is among 577 overall nominees for NCAA Woman of the Year, which is now in its 32nd year.  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.
The NCAA Woman of the Year Selection Committee, made up of representatives from the NCAA membership, will choose 10 women from each division to make up the Top 30.  The selection committee will determine the top three honorees in each division from the Top 30, and the nine finalists will be announced this fall. Â
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. – UNC Asheville track & field student-athlete Claudia Prieto has been selected as one of Big South Conference's co-honorees for the Woman of the Year award in 2021-22. The conference's Woman of the Year award is sponsored by Big South Corporate Partner Musco Sports Lighting.
Earning her degree in Biology, Prieto graduated Summa Cum Laude with a 3.97 GPA while earning five track & field All-Conference medals for the Bulldogs.  This past season, she was voted the Big South Women's Indoor Track & Field and Outdoor Track & Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year, was the Big South's Women's Field Athlete of the Week during the indoor season, broke multiple school indoor records, and set personal-bests in both the 60-meter dash and triple jump during the indoor campaign.  Her time of 7.11 seconds in the 55-meter dash at the Appalachian Open last December ranks sixth all-time in Big South history, while her indoor long jump effort of 6.03m (19-09.50) at the Big South Championship is sixth-best in league annals in that event.  Prieto holds the program record in the outdoor triple jump and long jump, and her long jump of 6.09m (19-11.75) at April's VertKlasse Meeting is fifth on the conference's all-time performance list.  She capped her 2021-22 season by competing in the long jump at the NCAA East Preliminaries.
Off the track, Prieto was a SAAC representative for the track & field team, served as an on-campus student health ambassador the last two years, was a biology tutor, and graduated with distinction as an Undergraduate Research Scholar and a University Scholar.  She was part of the Honors Program at Asheville, presented at the Undergraduate Research Symposium, and her research paper was published in the UNCA Journal of undergraduate research this past year.  Prieto was also a member of the XAE National Athletic Honors Society, was a two-time Chancellor's List honoree and four-time Dean's List member.  She was named to the Big South's Academic Team for Indoor Track & Field (2020, 2021) and Outdoor Track & Field (2020, 2022).
Prieto is among 577 overall nominees for NCAA Woman of the Year, which is now in its 32nd year.  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.
The NCAA Woman of the Year Selection Committee, made up of representatives from the NCAA membership, will choose 10 women from each division to make up the Top 30.  The selection committee will determine the top three honorees in each division from the Top 30, and the nine finalists will be announced this fall. Â
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