Cazzola Repeats As Track & Field Woman Of The Year

UW-Oshkosh senior Christy Cazzola has been named the 2014 NCAA Division III Track & Field Woman of the Year by the Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA).

Cazzola, who also received the award for cross country in 2012 and track & field in 2013, becomes one of 11 finalists for the prestigious NCAA Division III Woman Athlete of the Year honor. This award will be voted on at the end of June by the 1,000-plus NCAA members of the CWSA program, now in its 38th year.

Cazzola capped her record-breaking career with three titles at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championship held May 22-24 in Delaware, Ohio. The Kaukauna native won races at 800, 1,500 and 5,000 meters while leading UW-Oshkosh to a second-place finish.

Cazzola was named the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association's National Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year for the second straight season. She also repeated as the Outstanding Track Performer at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championship.

Cazzola contributed to three event titles at the NCAA Division III Indoor Championship held March 14-15 in Lincoln, Neb. She was named the meet's Outstanding Track Performer after winning the mile and 3,000-meter runs and anchoring the Titans' victorious distance medley relay team. Cazzola's efforts helped UW-Oshkosh repeat as the team champion.

Cazzola finished her collegiate career with 16 national track & field titles - eight indoor and eight outdoor. In 2012, Cazzola took first place at the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championship. Cazzola's resume also includes 27 WIAC titles - 12 indoor, 12 outdoor and three cross country.

"Christy's story is truly an amazing one," said UW-Oshkosh head track & field coach Ben Dorsey. "She is proof that hard work and dedication can trump anything life has to throw at you."

All sports nominees from DII and DIII become a finalist for the prestigious 2014 CWSA Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year in their respective divisions. The sports nominees are recognized in 11 DII and DIII NCAA-sanctioned sports - cross country, basketball, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, volleyball, and track & field.

The Collegiate Women Sports Awards honors the nation's top NCAA female athletes, recognizing superior athletic skills, leadership, academic excellence and eagerness to participate in community service.

Since commencing its sponsorship in 1986, Honda has provided more than $2.8 million in institutional grants to the universities of the award winners and nominees to support women's athletics programs at the institutions.