AUSTIN, Texas – The NCAA announced Tuesday afternoon the nomination of University of Texas graduating senior rower Gia Doonan for its 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year award.

A total of 544 nominees – the most ever in the 27-year history of the program – are up for the award, including 229 women from the Division I ranks. The award celebrates the academic achievements, athletics excellence, community service and leadership of graduating female student-athletes from the Division I, II and III levels.

To be eligible, a nominee must have competed and earned a varsity letter in an NCAA-sponsored sport, must have completed eligibility in her sport and must have earned her undergraduate degree by summer 2017. Eligible female student-athletes are nominated by their member school, whose corresponding conference office reviews nominations and submits nominees to the NCAA.

The NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee narrows the field to a Top-30 – 10 women from each division – and then three finalists from each division. The 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year will be selected from the Top-9 and announced on Oct. 22 in Indianapolis.

Earlier this month, Doonan became the first Texas rower to earn three first-team selections to the CRCA Division I All-America Team. She joins classmate Pippa Loveard as the only three-time All-Americans in the history of Texas Rowing.

With Doonan on-board, the Texas varsity eight boat tied a school record with its fourth-place finish in the grand final at the NCAA Championships. The Marion, Massachusetts, native helped the V8+ initially set the school mark with a fourth-place national showing in 2015, and the same boat placed seventh overall at the 2016 NCAA Championships, as well.

Doonan, who will finish work on her bachelor's in physical culture and sports this summer, is a two-time Academic All-Big 12 selection and a member of the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll. She earned All-Big 12 honors in each of her four seasons with the Longhorns. Doonan helped the Horns to Big 12 team titles in 2015, 2016 and 2017 behind league titles all three of those years in the V8+ boat.