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Former Mercy athlete in running for NCAA Woman of the Year Award

Buffalo State standout Saśa Vann, formerly of Bishop McGann-Mercy Diocesan High School, has been selected as a top 30 honoree for the 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year Award. A record 517 school nominees were submitted this year, and that number was whittled down to 142 conference nominees. The committee selected 30 women from that pool — 10 from each of the three NCAA divisions — representing 13 sports and a host of undergraduate majors. The honorees have demonstrated excellence in academics, athletics, community service and leadership.

Vann completed her four-year career in track at Buffalo State last month. She was a two-time All-American with the 4×400-meter relay and was a six-time State University of New York Athletic Conference champion, including capturing four individual titles in the 400-meter dash. She also earned an East Coast Athletic Conference championship in the 500 with a school-record time during the 2015 indoor season and helped the Bengals capture SUNYAC and ECAC team championships during that season.

A dual major in hospitality administration and psychology, Vann also excelled academically, graduating with a 3.81 cumulative GPA, according to Buffalo State. She is “an exceptional student whose career interests are focused on clinical neuropsychology and the study of post-traumatic stress disorder among women in the military,” the school said in a press release.

The selection committee will name nine finalists in late September. From the nine finalists, the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics will select the 2016 Woman of the Year, who will be announced Oct. 16 at a ceremony in Indianapolis.