Simone Childs-Walker is one of 10 Division III honorees for the NCAA Woman of the Year award

Photo: Greg Smith

NORTHFIELD, Minn. -- Carleton College distance runner Simone Childs-Walker ’12 (Seattle, Wash./Lakeside) has been named one of the top 30 honorees for the NCAA Woman of the Year award.

Selected from a group of nearly 430 nominees, the top 30 women are composed of 10 honorees from each of the three NCAA divisions and span various NCAA sports. They reflect the pillars of the Woman of the Year award, with outstanding achievements in academics, athletics, community service and leadership.

Next month, three finalists will be chosen from each division to form nine finalists for the award. The 2012 Woman of Year will be announced and the top 30 women will be honored during an Oct. 14 ceremony in Indianapolis.

Throughout her four years running for the Knights, Childs-Walker was virtually without peer. She was the selected as the top athlete in the conference in each of her three sports - cross country (2011), indoor track and field (2012) and outdoor track and field (2011) - while accumulating a trophy case full of MIAC individual championships and All-Conference honors.

Childs-Walker garnered 25 All-MIAC honors - 21 in track, four in cross country - as she was named All-Conference in every event she entered throughout her four seasons. Her success continued at the regional and national level as Childs-Walker earned a total of 12 All-American honors and was All-Region each season throughout her career.

Success wasn't limited to athletics for Childs-Walker, who graduated this spring with a near-perfect 3.96 grade point average with a degree in Philosophy. She was a two-time first team Academic All-American. Her academic pursuits will continue in medical school this fall at the University of Minnesota, where she is currently leaning toward pursuing a career in primary care or family practice.

Childs-Walker also left her mark on the Carleton and Northfield, Minn., communities through numerous service projects and volunteer efforts.

The 30 finalists for the NCAA Woman of the Year award have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.87 and more than 90 Academic All-America Honors.  Additionally, the group has earned nearly 20 national championships (individual and team) and nearly 110 All-American honors.  

Contains information from the NCAA and MIAC.

2012 NCAA Woman of the Year Top 30