Growing up in Chico, Kasey Barnett dreamed of being a Chico State athlete. As it turned out, Barnett was a dream come true for the Wildcats. She is the University's nominee for 2015 NCAA Woman of the Year award.
 
One of the greatest track & field athletes in the history of the program, Barnett won the 2013 and 2014 California Collegiate Athletic Association Field Athlete of the Year awards. She is also a five-time CCAA Champion and NCAA Championships qualifier and the school record holder in the pole vault and 4x100-meter relay.
 
Barnett rose to even greater heights off the track.
 
The 2013-14 NCAA Division II West Region Female Scholar Athlete of the Year, the CCAA Scholar Athlete of the Year, and a First Team Academic All-America selection, Barnett finished her degree in recreation, hospitality and parks management with a 3.96 GPA. She earned four CCAA All-Academic awards, three Division II Athletic Directors' Association Academic Achievement Awards, and was twice named both CoSIDA/Capital One All-District and United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic.
 
In the rare moments she wasn't practicing her craft or cramming for a final, Barnett volunteered her time to local youth. She was a Special Pals volunteer for Community Action Volunteers in Education (CAVE), helping second grade students improve their reading and vocabulary skills. She promoted physical activity among third graders through "Stick It Gymnastics Day." She served as a volunteer for District 47 Little League. And she was the programming committee coordinator for the "Wings of Eagles" Country Cookout, designed to raise money for families of children with seriously ill children.
 
It's easy to see why she was given the Chico State College of Communication and Education Outstanding Student Leader Award and why she has is now a nominee for 2015 NCAA Woman of the Year.
NCAA member colleges and universities have nominated 480 female student-athletes – the most ever in the history of the program – for the 2015 NCAA Woman of the Year award.
Now in its 25^th year, the 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.

Of the nominees, 93 competed in Division II.

The NCAA encourages member schools to honor its top graduating female student-athletes each year by submitting their names for consideration for the Woman of the Year award.
Then, conferences assess each nominee's eligibility and select up to two conference nominees. All conference nominees are forwarded to the Woman of the Year selection committee, which chooses the top 30 honorees – 10 from each division.

From the top 30, the selection committee determines the top three nominees from each division and announces the top nine finalists in September. The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics then chooses from among those nine to determine the 2015 NCAA Woman of the Year.

The 2015 NCAA Woman of the Year winner will be announced, and the Top 30 honorees celebrated, at the annual award ceremony Oct. 18 in Indianapolis.

"During my childhood, I took part in many sports and activities in the Chico community," Barnett writes in her personal statement. "Through these activities my parents, teachers and coaches taught me the importance of self-discipline, perseverance, leadership, sportsmanship and teamwork. These values shaped me into the person I am today. Receiving an education from Chico State and competing on the track and field team gave me a sense of purpose and inspired me to give back to the community that gave me so much growing up. During my college years, I enjoyed coaching competitive gymnastics, helping plan and implement local events through my coursework, and volunteering and local school s and little league tournaments These opportunities helped me become a role model for young kids and pass along the wisdom I learned from the leaders in my own life. Without these experiences, I would not be the leader I consider myself today. As I begin my professional career, I continue to give back to the youth in my community with the same passion and drive for success that steered me through my college career as a student-athlete."