Oklahoma State University Athletics
Ballner Named Big 12 Nominee for NCAA Woman of the Year
August 16, 2021 | Cowgirl Cross Country & Track
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State cross country and track & field's Ariane Ballner has been nominated by the Big 12 Conference as one of its two 2021 NCAA Woman of the Year candidates.
A first-team All-American for the Cowgirls in 2018, Ballner is a two-time Big 12 champion, winning the outdoor 1,500 meters in 2018 and contributing to the Cowgirl DMR champion relay team at the 2019 indoor conference meet.
Ballner also captained Cowgirl cross country to the program's second-ever Big 12 title in 2019 and has claimed All-Big 12 honors eight times in her distinguished career.
A native of Elmshorn, Germany, Ballner has excelled in the classroom during her time in Stillwater. A four-time CoSIDA Academic All-American performer, including three first-team selections to her name, she is the first student-athlete in Oklahoma State history to be named Academic All-American on four occasions.
Ballner graduated in May with a 4.00 grade point average with degrees in management and marketing and a minor in sports management and was named an OSU Senior of Significance for the 2020-21 academic year.
The six-time Academic All-Big 12 First Team performer was also recognized with the 2021 Dr. Gerald Lage Academic Achievement Award, the conference's highest academic honor.
Ballner will be among the 160 female student-athletes that have been named candidates by conference and independent schools in 2021.
The Woman of the Year Selection Committee, made up of representatives from the NCAA membership, will now choose the top 30 honorees — 10 from each division — from the conference-level nominees.
The top 30 honorees will be announced in September. From there, the selection committee will narrow the pool to three finalists from each division. The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics will select the 2021 Woman of the Year from the nine finalists.
A first-team All-American for the Cowgirls in 2018, Ballner is a two-time Big 12 champion, winning the outdoor 1,500 meters in 2018 and contributing to the Cowgirl DMR champion relay team at the 2019 indoor conference meet.
Ballner also captained Cowgirl cross country to the program's second-ever Big 12 title in 2019 and has claimed All-Big 12 honors eight times in her distinguished career.
A native of Elmshorn, Germany, Ballner has excelled in the classroom during her time in Stillwater. A four-time CoSIDA Academic All-American performer, including three first-team selections to her name, she is the first student-athlete in Oklahoma State history to be named Academic All-American on four occasions.
Ballner graduated in May with a 4.00 grade point average with degrees in management and marketing and a minor in sports management and was named an OSU Senior of Significance for the 2020-21 academic year.
The six-time Academic All-Big 12 First Team performer was also recognized with the 2021 Dr. Gerald Lage Academic Achievement Award, the conference's highest academic honor.
Ballner will be among the 160 female student-athletes that have been named candidates by conference and independent schools in 2021.
The Woman of the Year Selection Committee, made up of representatives from the NCAA membership, will now choose the top 30 honorees — 10 from each division — from the conference-level nominees.
The top 30 honorees will be announced in September. From there, the selection committee will narrow the pool to three finalists from each division. The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics will select the 2021 Woman of the Year from the nine finalists.
Players Mentioned
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