California Irvine Athletics

IRVINE, Calif. - UC Irvine track & field's Brianna Villanueva has been nominated for the 2021 NCAA Woman of the Year award, the NCAA announced Thursday afternoon.
 
"We couldn't be prouder of such a deserving and honorable student-athlete as Brianna Villanueva," said UCI head coach Jeff Perkins. "She has been the cornerstone of our program for the last several years and really developed holistically to be who she is today. Congratulations, Bri!"
 
Villanueva is a four-time All-Big West performer in the throws. As a senior, she was named the Big West Field Athlete of the Meet after claiming the conference title in the discus and finishing second in the hammer. A 2021 team captain, Villanueva closed out her final campaign with a combined nine individual victories in her two events.
 
Villanueva recently graduated as a double major in education sciences and public health policy with a minor in psychology and social behavior. The Atascadero, Calif., native left her mark on the UCI record books where she ranks among the top-three in program history in the hammer (2nd, 188-01), discus (3rd, 165-03) and indoor weight throw (2nd, 58-01.25).
 
Off the field, Villanueva was a four-time Dean's List student. She was also a student ambassador with the Anteater Pledge Ambassador Program, and a member of the Public Health Association at UC Irvine. In addition, Villanueva served as a Wellness Intern with UCI Human Resources and as an Athletic Training Intern with the Los Angeles Rams.
 
NCAA member schools across all three divisions nominated 535 female student-athletes for the 2021 Woman of the Year award. Of the 251 Division I nominees, Villanueva was one of eight from the Big West Conference.
 
Conferences will now select up to two nominees each from their pool of member school nominees. Then, the Woman of the Year selection committee will choose women from each division to make up the top-30. The selection committee will then determine the top three honorees in each division, and the nine finalists will be announced this fall.
 
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.