Charlotte Track Star Riley Felts Named NCAA Woman Of The Year Finalist
Riley Felts has been named as one of nine finalists for NCAA Woman of the Year, after a record-breaking pole vault career and outstanding academic record at Charlotte.
“It is a truly humbling and rewarding experience to even be nominated for the NCAA Woman of the Year, much less be a finalist, especially when there is so much talent across the country,” said Felts. “I could not have done it without the help of my family and coaches, so thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout my collegiate career.”
According to the NCAA, “The NCAA Woman of the Year program, established in 1991, honors academic achievement, athletics excellence, and community service and leadership of graduating female athletes throughout all three divisions. To be eligible, nominees must have competed and earned a varsity letter in any NCAA-sponsored sport and have completed and earned an undergraduate degree by summer 2024.”
Felts was initially announced as a nominee for the award in August, where she was then selected as a Top 30 Honoree (10 from each NCAA Division) in October, and has now been announced as one of 9 finalists (three from each NCAA Division).
Felts was selected due to her wildly successful athletic career during her time at Charlotte, as well as shining in the classroom as an engineering major. Some of Felts’ achievements include:
- School record holder in both outdoor and indoor pole vault
- Three All-American honors (2023-24)
- 5x conference indoor championship titles (2019-22, 2024)
- 2x conference outdoor championship titles (2019, 2024)
- 2024 American Athletic Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year
- 2024 CSC First Team Academic All-American
- 2021 CSC Third Team Academic All-American
- 2x USTFCCCA All-Academic Team (2020, 2024)
- 3x CSC Academic All-District Team (2020, 2023, 2024)
- 2x Conference USA All-Academic Team (2021, 2023)
Felts’ senior year bookended one of the greatest careers in Charlotte’s athletic history. In the 2024 season Felts:
- Set school record for indoor pole vault (4.50m) at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships (Runner-Up at NCAA)
- Set school record for outdoor pole vault (4.55m) at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships (Runner-Up at NCAA)
- NCAA First-Team All-American honors (Indoor and Outdoor)
- AAC Conference Champion in both indoor and outdoor
- Named to the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team
- CSC Academic All-American Team Honoree
- 2024 AAC Female Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Felts completed her 2024 season with a top-10 finish at the US Olympic Trials and was recently awarded a grant from USATF for emerging elite athlete development for travel and training costs.
Riley Felts is the first woman in Charlotte athletic history to be named as a finalist for NCAA Woman of The Year. The winner will be announced on Wed. Jan. 15th at the NCAA Convention which will be held Jan. 14-17 in Nashville, Tenn.