Former CSUN Women’s Soccer student-athlete Nicole Thompson has been selected as a Big West Conference nominee for the 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year award. Thompson is one of two Big West Conference honorees nominated for the award and one of 145 total conference nominees.

Thompson completed her senior season with the Matadors last November and helped CSUN to the program’s first regular season Big West championship. In June, CSUN nominated Thompson for the NCAA Woman of the Year award as she was one of 543 student-athletes nominated for the award.

In what proved to be a career season for Thompson, the Matadors’ standout defender helped the Matadors post a program-record 15 shutouts including six-straight conference shutouts. Anchoring the backline, Thompson led the Matadors to the second-best shutout percentage (.714) in the nation following the season. Among the many accolades she earned over the past year, Thompson was named Big West Conference Defensive Player of the Year, All-Big West First Team and National Soccer Coaches Association of American (NSCAA) All-West Region First Team.

Off the field, Thompson was also recognized for her tremendous work in the classroom. Named CSUN’s 2017 Female Big West Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Thompson became the first Matador in team history to receive a NSCAA Scholar-All-American award. She also earned NSCAA Scholar All-West Region First Team accolades.

A grad student with CSUN, Thompson completed her undergraduate studies in civil engineering last year and graduated with the highest GPA (3.82) of any student in the department. Thompson is currently studying to earn her master’s degree in structural engineering, and she works at a civil engineering company with plans to design buildings and bridges after her graduation.

UC Santa Barbara softball student-athlete Kristen Clark joined Thompson as the two Big West representatives for the award. A total of 58 Divison I student-athletes have been named conference nominees as well as 34 Division II and 53 Division III honorees.

From the 145 conference nominations, the NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee will select 10 nominees from each division and then narrow down the field even further to a student-athlete from each division. The 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year will named in October.