Beth Hanna, a three-time All-America volleyball player and winner of Pacific Lutheran University's 2011 Lute Career Achievement Award, is the Northwest Conference's official nominee for NCAA Woman of the Year.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) annually sponsors a Woman of the Year Award and encourages each institution to nominate one individual.  Those nominations are forwarded to the conference office for voting on a conference representative, and this year Hanna was selected from among a list of her peers representing the nine NWC schools. Her nomination has been submitted to the NCAA for consideration at divisional and national levels.

Hanna capped her outstanding four-year career this past season by earning All-Northwest Conference first team honors for the fourth consecutive season. She was named the NWC Player of the Year in both 2007 and 2008.

In addition, Hanna earned regional and national recognition each of her first three seasons. In 2007, in her first collegiate year, Beth was named an AVCA First Team All-American and AVCA Freshman of the Year, becoming the first PLU player to receive such honors.  In 2008 and 2009, Beth was on the AVCA Third Team All-America, placing herself as the most decorated PLU volleyball player to step foot on the court. She received AVCA All-West Region first team honors each of her first three seasons.

In addition to her outstanding athletic achievements, Hanna had equally impressive success in community service and academics.  She was the student leader for Fellowship of Christian Athletes, was an avid member of For the King Campus Ministry, and also volunteered in projects involving the homeless.  In addition, she graduated with a 3.63 GPA in education while balancing all of her volleyball and extracurricular activities.

"The most important thing about Beth is her leadership and the standard she has set for future PLU volleyball players," Lutes head coach Kevin Aoki said. "Above all else is her humility and the fact that she was just a great teammate and person to have in our program."

- PLU -