Indiana University swimmer and French Olympian Margaux Farrell was declared by the NCAA today as one of the 30 finalists from a group of 430 nominees for the NCAA Woman of the Year award.
Ten honorees from each NCAA division and representing various NCAA sports compose the top 30 finalists. 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 in Indianapolis on Oct. 14, the 2012 Woman of Year will be named and the top 30 women will be honored.
"Margaux' s nomination for NCAA Woman of the Year culminates a fantastic four years at Indiana University for her," said IU head swimming coach Ray Looze in a press release. "In this day and age it is very uncommon for a nonprofessional swimmer to win an Olympic medal. We look forward to watching Margaux grow as an individual through her pursuit of a career in broadcast journalism over the next few years. Anything she sets her sights on she doggedly pursues until success."
An 11-time All-American, two-year captain for the IU women's swimming team, and 2012 London Olympics bronze medalist in the 4x200 freestyle relay, Farrell has left quite an impact on the IU swimming program. Farrell not only joined the likes of Mark Spitz, Fred Schmidt, and John Murphy as Hoosier Olympians, but she is also the only Olympian to come from her native Woodbridge, Conn.
Farrell also excels in the area of academics achieving the following awards and honors: three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, 2011 CoSIDA Academic All-District selection, 2012 winner of the Wayne Duke Postgraduate Scholarship, and NCAA postgraduate scholarship.
In May, amidst earning a spot on the 2012 French Olympic Team, she earned her degree in journalism with a psychology minor.
As a freshman in 2009, Farrell started her career with a bang by finishing fourth in the 100 freestyle and 200 freestyle and winning a Big Ten title as a member of the 400 freestyle relay leading the Hoosiers to a Big Ten team title. She completed her sophomore year with another Big Ten title in the 400 freestyle relay along with a victory in the 200 freestyle and second-place finish in the 100 freestyle. During her junior year, Farrell led Indiana once again, winning a conference title in the 800 freestyle relay and placing third in the 200 freestyle, 100 freestyle, and 400 freestyle relay contributing to the Hoosier's third-straight Big Ten Championship.
Farrell ended her IU career with a total of four Big Ten titles in the 800 freestyle relay. She remains school record holder in the 100 freestyle, 800 freestyle relay, 200 freestyle relay, 200 medley relay, 400 medley relay and 400 freestyle relay.
