Former Hoosier Farrell nominated as 2012 NCAA Woman of the Year

Former IU swimmer and French Olympian Margaux Farrell was declared one of the 30 finalists for the NCAA Woman of the Year award Monday. She was chosen from a group of 430 nominees.

“I am surprised and honored that I am a finalist because there are so many qualified women that are phenomenal student athletes, so just to be considered for this award means so much to me,” Farrell said.

The NCAA chose 10 honorees from each division representing various NCAA sports.

The field will be cut further in September, when three finalists from each division will be chosen to comprise a total of nine finalists.

During a ceremony Oct. 14 in Indianapolis, the 2012 Woman of the Year will be named and the top 30 women honored.

“Margaux’s nomination for NCAA Woman of the Year culminates a fantastic four years at Indiana University for her,” IU Coach Ray Looze said in a press release. “In this day and age, it is very uncommon for a nonprofessional swimmer to win an Olympic medal.”

An 11-time All-American, two-year captain of the IU women’s swimming team and 2012 Olympics bronze medalist in the 4x200-meter freestyle relay for France, Farrell has left a legacy with the IU swimming program.

“Obviously, there are things I wish I could have done better or races and grades I wish would have been faster or higher,” Farrell said. “However, all in all, everything happens for a reason, and so I can’t look back and regret what did or didn’t happen. I’m proud of what I’ve achieved, and I hope I can continue to set high goals in the future.”

During her tenure at IU, Farrell excelled in academics, including being named a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, a 2011 CoSIDA Academic All-District selection, a 2012 winner of the Wayne Duke Postgraduate Scholarship and a recipient of an NCAA postgraduate scholarship.

In May, while securing a spot on the 2012 French Olympic team, she received a degree in journalism with a psychology minor.

Despite an acceptance to USC to complete a master’s in broadcast journalism, Farrell is deferring for one year to work swim clinics and complete an internship. She wants to gain experience before she begins school to hopefully work in entertainment or sports television.

“Ideally, I would like to work in television or television advertising, but my main goal is to be on camera someday,” Farrell said.

Farrell started her swimming career as a freshman in spring 2009 with a bang by finishing fourth in the 100-meter freestyle and 200-meter freestyle and winning a Big Ten title as a member of the 400-meter medley relay, leading the Hoosiers to a Big Ten team title.

She completed her sophomore year with another Big Ten title in the 400-meter freestyle relay along with a victory in the 200-meter freestyle and second-place finish in the 100-meter freestyle.

During her junior year, Farrell led Indiana once again, winning a conference title in the 800-meter freestyle relay and placing third in the 200-meter freestyle, 100-meter freestyle and 400-meter freestyle relay. She helped IU win its third straight Big Ten Championship.

“Whether it be the last 12 months or the past four years, she has appreciated the time Indiana has put into her, and she has deflected a lot of the praise onto all the people who supported her, especially her mother,” Looze said.

Farrell ended her IU career with four Big Ten titles in the 800-meter freestyle relay. She owns the school record for six different events.

“Margaux has a lot to give, and I think the more she puts into people, the more she will get out of life,” Looze said.