MOREHEAD Ky. -- To be considered for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award, a student-athlete must be of the highest character, be a standout in her sport and be a community leader. Morehead State's Olivia Lohmeier fits the description perfectly, and that is why she is one of two nominees from the Ohio Valley Conference for the prestigious honor.

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 2020 (or demonstrate that she would have earned her degree if not for the COVID-19 pandemic).

Lohmeier, a Cincinnati, Ohio, native, joins Austin Peay's Fabienne Schmidt as the OVC selections.

"Volleyball has presented me incredible opportunities from traveling around the country, creating lifelong friends, and ultimately giving me the opportunity to pursue my dream of a collegiate volleyball career," she said. "Volleyball became my main focus when I got to Morehead State University. Because of this, I let the sport define me as a person. I put my identity and my self-worth in my performance. I felt I always had to be at the peak of my game, or I would be letting everyone down. This was until one of my teammates showed me that volleyball doesn't define me. She gave me an example of incredible leadership both on and off the court which help me grow into the leader I am today. Someone who is not defined by statistics but loves to serve others and help them grow."

Lohmeier has already earned her Bachelor's Degree in business administration and information systems and is working toward her Master's Degree in Engineering and Technology Management, where she already has a 4.0 GPA.

Among her many academic honors, Lohmeier was even selected as a student speaker for her undergraduate commencement for the College of Business and Technology. In 2019-20 she was the Outstanding Undergraduate Student in Information Systems. A member of the Dean's List every semester, she also was a four-time Ohio Valley Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll selection and a three-time OVC Academic Medal of Honor winner.

In her civic activities, Lohmeier has been a key component and volunteer for Say Boo to Drugs and Morehead State Freshmen Move-In Days. She has also been an active member of the Athletes in Action Leadership Team and has volunteered at Better Life Church and St. Paul Lutheran Church. She has also assisted at the Tri-County Animal Shelter and helped with the volleyball team's efforts at the COVID-19 vaccination clinic at St. Claire Regional Healthcare.

On the court, Lohmeier has put together one of the most prolific careers in program history, including earning the 2018 and 2020-21 OVC Player of the Year awards. She is just the third player in program history to win that honor twice. She is a three-time First-Team All-OVC selection and is the first-ever four-time All-American in program history. She has been named Honorable Mention All-American by VolleyMag.com three times.

Lohmeier enters her final competition season ranked among the top stats players of all-time at MSU. In helping the Eagles win the 2021 spring OVC regular season and tournament titles, she became the ninth player in program history to surpass 1,500 kills. Lohmeier's efforts guided MSU to its first-ever NCAA Tournament victory when the Eagles defeated Creighton in the first round in the Blue Jays' hometown of Omaha, Neb. this past spring. She led the OVC in kills, kills per set, points and points per set and ranked in the top 30 in the NCAA in kills and points per set..

In addition she has seen nearly just as much success on the beach courts. Lohmeier owns the program career victories record and set the single-season victories record in 2019.