MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin women's track and field standout Kelsey Card has been nominated for the NCAA Woman of the Year award, the organization announced Tuesday.

The 2016 NCAA discus champion, Card is one of 517 nominees for the prestigious award that honors academic achievements, athletics excellence, community service and leadership of graduating female college athletes from all three divisions.

A native of Plainview, Illinois, Card enjoyed a historic collegiate career, earning seven first-team All-America honors while cracking the NCAA top-10 lists in both the outdoor shot put and discus.
Card's winning discus throw at this year's NCAA outdoor championships of 208 feet, 5 inches ranks No. 7 in NCAA history, while her shot put toss at the 2016 Wisconsin Twilight of 60-10 3/4 ranks No. 10 in the record books.

Wisconsin's female Big Ten Conference Medal of Honor recipient also became the first woman in NCAA history to throw the shot put more than 60 feet, and the discus and hammer more than 200 feet.

A seven-time Big Ten champion, Card was named the Big Ten Indoor Field Athlete of the Year the past two years after sweeping the throwing events at the conference meet. She was also named the Big Ten Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year this past spring after winning the shot put and discus with meet records while also finishing third in the hammer throw.

Card, a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, earned a pair of bachelor's degrees in human development and family studies and gender and women's studies while also working in the UW Sports Medicine department.

The group of 517 women nominated this year for the award is the most during the 26-year history of the award.

Each conference will select two nominees to send to the NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee, which will choose the top-30 honorees.

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.