FULLERTON, Calif. - Cal State Fullerton women's soccer senior Haley Brown and Petra Melounova of Hawai'i have been selected to represent the Big West as conference-level nominees for the 2021 NCAA Woman of the Year award.  
 

Established in 1991, the NCAA Woman of the Year award is rooted in Title IX and recognizes graduating female college athletes who have exhausted their NCAA eligibility and distinguished themselves in academics, athletics, service and leadership throughout their collegiate careers. 
 

Cal State Fullerton's 2020 Big West Women's Scholar Athlete of the Year, Brown boasts a near-perfect grade-point average with numerous academic and athletic accolades. As a midfielder on the Titan women's soccer team, Brown was named All-Big West Second Team and earned Big West Offensive Player of the Week honors in 2019.  
 

She has been selected to the Dean's List for the College of Health and Human Development eight times, and was the 2021 recipient of "The James Gilmore Outstanding Senior" award for the Department of Child and Adolescent Studies. The Child and Adolescent Development major is pursuing a career in research. Brown is currently a researcher and course assists for Research Methods in Child and Adolescent Development. Brown is also heavily invested in community involvement, having worked in a special education classroom at Mariposa Elementary School and the Junior Rangers Soccer Camp. 
 

"The past four years as a student-athlete at California State Fullerton has influenced my life by shaping me into a strong, dedicated, and passionate member of the community," noted Brown in a Big West Conference press release. "I am incredibly grateful for the community service opportunities that I had because of my status as a student-athlete.  
 

"Each day, I am passionate and energetic as I do not take my status as a student-athlete for granted. I have developed a greater understanding of the hard work and pressure that student-athletes face. Therefore, I am honored to be nominated for this because of the accomplishments and dedication that my fellow nominees have endured. Also, as a student-athlete, I understand the intensity of managing athletics, academics, and community service. This program taught me to put my head down and find the grit to complete tasks that might come my way both on the field and in life." 
 

Brown is returning to the Titans for a fifth season and will graduate in Fall 2021 with a degree in child and adolescent development and minors in sociology and literary education.