Valdez Named WAC Woman of the Year

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BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – CSU Bakersfield track and field student-athlete Angel Valdez has been named one of two Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Woman of the Year nominees. Valdez is the first student-athlete in department history to have been chosen by conference officials.

"I am so proud of Angel and I know that she is humbled by this honor," said Director of Track & Field/Cross Country Marcia Mansur-Wentworth. "She is the true embodiment of the term student-athlete and has been an absolute joy to have on the team."

The NCAA Woman of the Year award honors the academic achievements, athletics excellence, community service and leadership of graduating female college athletes from all three divisions. To be eligible, a nominee must have completed and earned a varsity letter in an NCAA-sponsored sport, must have completed eligibility in her primary sport, and must have earned her undergraduate degree by Summer 2018.

"Valdez has been a great leader and ambassador for the community, university, department, and program," said Mansur-Wentworth. "I've been fortunate to witness Angel evolve into one of the best leaders I've had in my 20 plus years of coaching."

"Angel helped transform the team culture here," added Mansur-Wentworth. "She's one of the most encouraging people I know but yet is also not afraid to hold her teammates accountable."

Valdez earned 10 WAC All-Academic honors throughout her career. She led her team in 15 consecutive cross country races, the most-ever in program history. She also owns the record in the 4k, 5k and 6k races. In track and field, Valdez ranks second in the 10,000-meter, third in the 5,000-meter, sixth in the 3,000-meter and 14th in the 1,500-meter. The 5-foot-3 distance runner holds the highest WAC and NCAA Regionals finish in Division I program history.

Off the track Valdez spent a significant amount of time doing community service, totaling 86 hours with seven different organizations during her collegiate career. Mansur-Wentworth noted, "She was always the first to sign up for volunteer activities and always made herself available to help her teammates study for upcoming tests." Valdez graduated magna cum laude May 2018 with a B.S. in Mathematics and a concentration in teaching.

Valdez is one of 154 conference-level honorees. Next the Woman of the Year selection committee, made up of representatives from NCAA members, will choose the top 30 honorees – 10 from each division. The top 30 honorees will be announced in September.

~GoRunners.com~

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Players Mentioned

Angel Valdez: Distance; 5' 3"; Senior

Players Mentioned

Angel Valdez
: 5' 3"; Senior
: Distance