INDIANAPOLIS – NC State distance runner Grace Hartman has been selected as a Top 30 honoree for the 2025 NCAA Woman of the Year Award, as announced by the organization on Wednesday.
The NCAA Woman of the Year is a national award that was established in 1991 to honor academic achievement, athletics excellence, community service and leadership. It is one of the highest awards given by the NCAA. The Woman of the Year award is unique in its recognition of student-athletes who are not only successful on the field and in the classroom but also contribute to their communities and campuses.
Hartman, an Oakwood, Ohio native, has been a key leader and athlete in NC State’s distance program throughout her career. The senior has an impressive resume as an eight-time All-American and nine-time All-ACC performer, with her sights set on adding even more to her decorated career.
During the 2024-25 season, Hartman established herself as the Wolfpack’s top finisher at every cross country meet, capping off the season with individual titles at both the ACC Championships and the NCAA Southeast Regional Championships, before placing fifth overall at the NCAA Championships.
Her success carried into track season, where indoors she opened the season by breaking the meet and facility record in the 5000m at the JDL Flat is Fast Meet. She also ran the third-fastest mile in NCAA history and the second-fastest in NC State history with a time of 4:24.76. At the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships, she finished sixth in the 5000m, setting the fastest time in program history and placed fifth in the 3000m.
Outdoors, Hartman continued rewriting the record books. She set program facility and meet records in the 10,000m at Raleigh Relays with a time of 31:20.60, making her the third-fastest performer in NCAA history. At Duke Twilight, she broke both the NC State and ACC records in the 5000m with a 14:58.11 mark, becoming the fourth-fastest in NCAA history.
She closed the season by winning the ACC 5000m title in a meet-record time of 15:12.03, collecting both ACC and ACC Championships records. She also earned First-Time All-America honors in the 5000m and 10,000m at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Off the track, Hartman has matched her athletic excellence with academic distinction. A psychology major, she is a seven-time All-ACC Academic honoree, a five-time USTFCCCA All-Academic recipient and the only woman in NC State program history to earn Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors in both outdoor track & field and cross country.
“Grace has been an exceptional student and athlete during her time at NC State. Her dedication to her sport and to serving as a role model for younger female athletes is unmatched,” said Head Coach Laurie Henes. “Her drive and passion are evident in everything she does and we are so proud of everything she has accomplished.”
Hartman is the most recent Wolfpack athlete to be named a Top 30 honoree for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award, following tennis alumna Jaeda Daniel, who went on to be named a NCAA Woman of the Year finalist in 2022.
The Woman of the Year selection committee will choose the 2025 NCAA Woman of the Year from among the Top 30 honorees. The 2025 NCAA Woman of the Year will be announced on Wednesday, Nov. 5, and will be invited to participate in an awards presentation at the NCAA Convention in January in National Harbor, Maryland.
