ADA – East Central University soccer player Margaret Glutz has been announced as the Tigers nominee for the 2015 NCAA Woman of the Year honor.  This is the same award that ECU tennis standout Agostina Moran was nominated for in 2014 and which she advanced to the Top-10 in NCAA Division II.

The NCAA released a list of 480 female student-athletes, the most in the history of the program.  Of the nominees, 207 competed in Division I, 93 in Division II and 180 in Division III athletics.

Now in its 25^th year, the Woman of the Year award honors graduating female college athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in academics, athletics, service and leadership.

"I'm extremely proud and excited for Margaret in being recognized with this nomination," said head coach Riley Bailey.  "She has been a tremendous ambassador for our soccer program, ECU and the Ada community during her time here.  Margaret has a bright future ahead and this nomination is just another launching pad for future successes in her life.  ECU can be proud that Margaret is representing our great university."
 
The Santee, Calif., native finished her career at ECU in strong fashion, earning the athletic departments Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year honor for the second-straight season and graduating with a degree in ele
mentary education with a 3.92 GPA. 

For her efforts off the field she earned 2014 Capital One CoSIDA Academic All-District 7 honors, three-straight GAC All-Academic Team honors, two D2ADA All-Academic honors and the ECU Outstanding Student Teacher Award (2015).

Glutz was the first soccer player from the Great American Conference to earn four-straight All-GAC First Team honors, while also claiming the 2014 GAC Defender of the Year and 2011 GAC Freshman of the Year honors. 

During her time in a black and orange uniform she was also honored as a Daktronics All-Central Region Second Team selection (2014) and National Soccer Coaches Association of America Third Team All-South Central Region (2011).

Glutz has also been active in the community, at home in Texas, in Ada and outside the country.  She has volunteered at the Boys & Girls Club in Ada, Ada Early Childhood Developmental Center and at soccer academies.  She has also been active back home in Mansfield, Texas (where she graduated from high school) in various leadership groups and schools and participated in two mission trips to Idaho and Guatemala.

Glutz is one of four student-athletes from the GAC to be nominated for the award.  Each conference will now select up to two conference nominees.  All conference nominees are forwarded to the Woman of the Year selection committee, which chooses the top 30 honorees – 10 from each division.

From the top 30, the selection committee determines the top three nominees from each division and announces the top nine finalists in September.  The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics then chooses from among those nine to determine the 2015 NCAA Woman of the Year.

The 2015 NCAA Woman of the Year winner will be announced, and the Top 30 honorees celebrated, at the annual award ceremony Oct. 18 in Indianapolis.