AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn equestrian’s Lauren Diaz was chosen as one of the Southeastern Conference nominees for the 2019 NCAA Woman of the Year, the NCAA announced Tuesday.

A total of 148 student-athletes chosen by NCAA conferences and a selection committee have advanced as nominees for the 2019 NCAA Woman of the Year Award. The women were selected from a pool of 585 school nominees.

The Top 30 honorees, comprising of 10 women from each division, will be named by the Woman of the Year selection committee in September. The selection committee will then narrow the pool to nine finalists — with three from each division — in early October. From those finalists, the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics will select the 2019 Woman of the Year.

“To say we’re proud of Lauren is an understatement,” head coach Greg Williams said. “This is an award that surpasses most others for female athletes and she is very deserving. Lauren is everything team-first since she arrived and her leadership has been incredible for our program. She always did what we asked by putting others ahead of herself all the time and the Auburn equestrian program is better because she was a part of it.”

“It’s an honor to be recognized for such an amazing award,” Diaz said. “I truly believe the SEC is the best conference in the country that produces nothing but the strongest, most successful athletes as well as the best people overall.”

Diaz, who recently finished her senior year on the Plains, graduated with a degree in political science this past spring. She was Auburn’s nominee for the 2019 SEC H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Post-Graduate Scholarship and finished her career as a three-time NCEA First Team All-Academic honoree. In addition, Diaz was placed on the SEC Academic Honor Roll three years in a row and earned First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll recognition as a freshman.

Athletically, Diaz finished her time with Auburn as the program’s most decorated Horsemanship rider. The Heath, Ohio native set a program record in career wins with 41 during her four years as a Tiger. She was named the 2019 SEC Horsemanship Rider of the Year as well as the 2016 SEC Freshman Horsemanship Rider of the Year.

This past season, Diaz secured NCEA All-America First Team recognition as well as a spot on the All-SEC team. She led the Tigers to a perfect 18-0 record in 2018-19, helping the program earn its sixth national overall championship and third in the past four years. In addition, Diaz was a key player in Auburn’s 2019 SEC Championship.

“When I first came to Auburn there were several awards and recognitions that I knew I wanted to accomplish by the end of my collegiate career,” Diaz said. “Though I was fortunate enough to accomplish those goals, I think it’s a staple of the Auburn program that I no longer wanted to accomplish those goals for myself but for my teammates, for the girls that will come after me and the girls that came before me and taught me that it’s about being a part of something much bigger than yourself.”

To go with her career wins record, Diaz finished her four years with three of the program’s top scores in Horsemanship. Her 12 career Most Outstanding Performer honors also set a new record for Auburn, while her 69 meets competed was a record as well.

“The Plains will forever hold a special place in my heart and I am blessed for the endless opportunities that have been presented to me throughout my time here,” Diaz said. “If I was able to have some small part in bettering the Auburn program, community or the sport as a whole, then I know I was more successful than I could have asked for.”

The 2019 Woman of the Year will be named, and the Top 30 honorees will be celebrated, at the annual banquet Oct. 20 in Indianapolis.

The NCAA Woman of the Year program has recognized graduating female student-athletes for excellence in academics, athletics, community service and leadership since its inception in 1991.

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