Lauren Wheeler was named as a finalist for the 2015-2016 SCAC Woman of the Year Award, the league office has announced. Wheeler, who just finished up her senior year at Austin College, is one of the most decorated female student-athletes in recent Kangaroo athletics history.
Wheeler is a two-time Gene Day Award winner as the Austin College female athlete of the year, winning that award in each of the past two years. She's also been named the Kangaroo women's swimming and diving team's Hannah Award winner as the most outstanding swimmer each of her four years at Austin College.
Over the course of her career, Wheeler has practically rewritten the Austin College swimming record books, and leaves the program with the program record in eight of 14 individual events. In addition to being an outstanding performer in the pool, Wheeler also graduated with a 3.6 GPA and was a three-time member of the SCAC Academic Honor Roll, and is a former SCAC Character and Community Award recipient as well.
Wheeler was also named the female Tim Jubela Award winner in 2013, an award given annually to the top freshman student-athlete at Austin College. She's a five-time All-SCAC performer, and in 2015 became the first Austin College swimmer to win an individual championship at the SCAC Championship Meet, when she finished first in the 100 backstroke.