Courtesy of Fresno State Athletics

INDIANAPOLIS – 2024 Fresno State graduate Amelia DiPaola has been selected to the Top 30 for the 2024 NCAA Woman of the Year award, announced by the organization on Wednesday.

DiPaola is the first student-athlete from both Fresno State and the Mountain West to reach the Top 30 in the NCAA’s selection process. Ten student-athletes from each of the NCAA’s three divisions make up the Top 30.

“It is an absolute honor to be chosen among the Top 30 women in the NCAA for Woman of the Year,” DiPaola said. “I am very proud to represent Fresno State as an honoree. Although I’m no longer in Fresno, the Bulldog spirit continues on in Minnesota while I further my education in my Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine program.”

DiPaola had an impressive year on and off the track for Fresno State. In her final season she became the first Bulldog since 2014 to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in the hammer throw, finishing 21st to earn All-America Honorable Mention. A four-time qualifier for the NCAA West Preliminary Round, DiPaola was also a two-time All-Mountain West performer.

Off the track, DiPaola was a five-time Academic All-Mountain West and Mountain West Scholar-Athlete honoree, was named USTFCCCA All-Academic four times and was twice selected College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District. She graduated magna cum laude in May in animal science and was accepted into veterinary school at University of Minnesota.

“We are so proud of Amelia’s nomination for NCAA Woman of the Year,” said Fresno State Director of Track & Field/Cross Country Jason Drake. “Her accomplishments on our team, in the classroom, and in our community are second to none. Amelia’s leadership and community service have made a lasting impact here and I am confident she will continue to use her talents to empower those around her and build a brighter future.”

The NCAA Woman of the Year program was established in 1991 and honors the academic achievements, athletics excellence, community service and leadership of graduating female college athletes from all three divisions. To be eligible, a nominee must have competed and earned a varsity letter in an NCAA-sponsored sport and must have earned her undergraduate degree by Summer 2024.

In August, the NCAA announced a record 627 nominees were submitted from schools across the country.

Following the selection of the Top 30, the selection committee will then determine the top three honorees in each division to comprise the group of nine finalists, later in the fall. From those nine finalists, the NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics will choose the 2024 NCAA Woman of the Year. The honorees will be celebrated at the Woman of the Year Award Presentation at the NCAA Convention in Nashville, Tennessee, in January.

Amelia DiPaola

  • DiPaola, a native of Fremont, Calif., graduated with a 3.84 cumulative GPA while earning her animal science degree with an emphasis in pre-veterinary studies.
  • Concluded her career with her first appearance at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, finishing as a Honorable Mention All-American.
  • She is a two-time All-Mountain West honoree in the hammer (2022, 2024).
  • Set personal bests in both the hammer (62.89m/206-4) and shot put (15.02m/49-3.5) during 2024.
  • Ranks No. 5 on the program’s all-time list in the hammer and No. 10 in the shot put.
  • Scored in both the hammer (3rd) and shot put (6th) at the Mountain West Outdoor Championships and in the weight throw (8th) and shot put (5th) at the MW Indoor Championships.
  • She is a four-time USTFCCCA All-Academic honoree and a two-time CSC Academic All-District Team selection.
  • Won Fresno State’s Community Service Award.
  • Served on the Bulldogs’ Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, for which she was MW representative in 2021-22, president in 2022-23 and community service chair in 2023-24.
  • As SAAC president, oversaw Spring Fest, bringing children in the community to campus.
  • Partnered with a local nonprofit to organize a campus cleanup as part of NCAA civic engagement day.
  • DiPaola volunteered at Fresno Bully Rescue and with the United States Twirling Association West Region and National Championships and served as a baton twirling coach and ice hockey coach.
  • Served as awards coordinator at the United States Twirling Association national championship.