Mariah Fritz

PELLA — Central College graduate Mariah Fritz has been selected as the American Rivers Conference’s nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award.

Fritz, a 2015 East Marshall High School graduate, was a senior pitcher this past spring for the Dutch and the recipient of the team’s LeRoy Timmer Most Valuable Player Award. She went 20-9 in the pitching circle with two saves in 32 appearances. She finished with a 3.58 earned run average in leading Central to a 27-10 record, the program’s 13th conference title and a record 30th NCAA Division III tournament berth.

The NCAA Woman of the Year Award is presented annually to graduating female student-athletes who have distinguished themselves in academics, athletics, service and leadership throughout their college careers. Fritz is the eighth Central athlete to earn the conference’s nomination.

The Woman of the Year selection committee will next pick the top 30 honorees — 10 from each division (NCAA D-I, II and III), and the top three from each division will be announced in September. The winner will be honored at a ceremony recognizing the top 30 on Oct. 20 in Indianapolis.

Fritz, an integrated studies major, graduated with a 3.80 cumulative grade-point average. She was the ARC’s co-Pitcher of the Year. She also received academic all-conference honors and was an Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete for the third time in her collegiate career.