INDIANAPOLIS Eastern Illinois track and field athlete Janie Howse was named the Panthers nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award presented annually. Howse was one of 517 student-athletes across all three NCAA Divisions that were nominated for the award. In May Howse was named the EIU Senior Female Athlete of the Year after concluding a record setting career as a thrower for the women's indoor and outdoor track teams. During her final indoor track season Howse set the school record in the indoor weight throw earning first team All-Ohio Valley Conference in the event. Her record setting throw was 62'3" coming at the OVC Indoor Championship meet. During the 2016 outdoor season Howse helped the Panthers win the OVC Outdoor Women's Track Championship scoring points in hammer, shot put and discus throw. She broke the 170' barrier twice in the hammer throw during the season setting the school record in her final home meet with a throw of 171'4". Howse finished her EIU career ranking in the career top ten for five indoor and outdoor throws events. The NCAA Woman of the Year award honors graduating female college athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in academics, athletics, service and leadership. This pool of school honorees marks the largest in the 26-year history of the award. Of the nominees for the national award, 231 competed in Division I, 117 competed in Division II and 169 competed in Division III athletics. The nominees also represent 21 different women's sports, and 127 of the nominees competed in more than one sport in college. The NCAA encourages member schools to honor their top graduating female student-athletes each year by submitting their names for consideration for the Woman of the Year award. Next, conferences assess their member school nominees and select up to two conference nominees. The Woman of the Year selection committee, made up of representatives from the NCAA membership, will then choose the top 30 honorees - 10 from each division. From the top 30, the selection committee determines the top three honorees from each division and announces the nine finalists in September. The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics then chooses from among those nine to determine the 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year. The top 30 honorees will be celebrated and the 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year winner will be announced at the annual award ceremony Oct. 16 in Indianapolis.