LOGAN, Utah - Utah State has announced a second NCAA Woman of the Year nominee as graduated track & field senior Michala Zilkey has been nominated for the award, joining graduated soccer senior Mealii Enos. The duo is part of a record 605 nominees for the 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year, as announced by the NCAA on Tuesday, July 14.

Established in 1991, the NCAA Woman of the Year award recognizes graduating female college athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves in academics, athletics, service and leadership throughout their collegiate careers.

Zilkey recorded her best mark as a thrower at the 2019 Mountain West Outdoor Championships, tossing the hammer a personal-best 57.45 meters (188 feet 6 inches) to finish fifth. The distance still ranks 10th all-time in school history. Zilkey also logged points at the championship by finishing sixth in the discus, recording a mark of 51.00 meters (167 feet 4 inches). At the 2018 MW championships, Zilkey matched the sixth-place finish in the discus, throwing 48.63 meters (159 feet 6 inches). Zilkey's personal-best mark of 51.09 meters (167 feet 7 inches) in the discus is No. 6 all-time in Utah State history.

In the classroom, Zilkey was a five-time USU Whitesides Scholar Athlete, four-time Mountain West Scholar Athlete and a three-time academic all-Mountain West honoree.

The complete field of nominees compete across all three NCAA divisions, including 259 from Division I, 126 from Division II and 220 from Division III.

During the next step, conferences will select up to two nominees each from the pool of school nominees. Then, the Woman of the Year selection committee, made up of representatives from the NCAA membership, will choose the Top-30 honorees — 10 from each division.

The selection committee will determine the top-three honorees from each division from the Top 30 and announce the nine finalists in September. From those nine finalists, the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics then will choose the 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year.

The Top-30 honorees will be celebrated and the 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year will be named at the annual award ceremony in the fall.

Fans can follow the Aggie soccer program on Twitter, @USUSoccer, on Facebook at /USUSoccer and on Instagram, @USUSoccer. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program on Twitter, @USUAthletics, Facebook at /USUAthletics and on Instagram, @USUAthletics.

-USU-