SAN FRANCISCO – Stanford track and field standout Valarie Allman, a six-time All-America selection, school record holder and two-time conference champion, was named the Pac-12 Woman of the Year.
The Pac-12 Woman of the Year Award honors graduating student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, community service and leadership.
"Valarie earning Pac-12 Woman of the Year honor is a great testament to all she has accomplished during her time at Stanford and a true reflection of who she is as a student-athlete and a person," said Chris Miltenberg, Stanford's The Franklin P. Johnson Director of Track & Field. "She has been a key driver in all the great momentum our team has built throughout her Stanford career and her impact will continue to be felt for years to come after she has graduated."
Allman and UCLA All-American gymnast Christine Peng Peng Lee will share the honor as the first co-winners in the 13 years it has been awarded.
Allman, who is a candidate for the NCAA Woman of the Year award, earned her bachelor's degree in product design. She completed her Stanford career as a six-time All-America selection, a two-time Pac-12 discus champion and the school record-holder in the discus and 20-pound weight throw.
Stanford matched its highest finish in program history at the NCAA Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships this spring, finishing just two points back of a national crown in third place at the June event. Earlier this summer, Stanford was rated as the best overall women's program in the nation by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
As a senior, Allman earned first-team All-America honors in both the discus and the hammer by placing third and eighth, respectively, at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. She recorded the highest hammer finish by a Stanford woman in meet history and ranks second on Stanford's all-time list in the hammer.
Two weeks later at the U.S. Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Allman won a U.S. discus title. The four-time NCAA discus qualifier broke a longstanding school record in winning the U.S. crown. Her throw of 208-6 (63.55m) in the discus broke a school record from 1983 and was the longest throw by an American so far this year.
Allman finished second in the discus and fourth in the hammer at the 2018 Pac-12 Track and Field Championships. She captured Pac-12 discus titles twice in her Cardinal career, winning the event in 2015 and 2016.
A captain, Allman broke the Stanford record in the weight throw at the 2018 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, earning first-team All-America honors.
A standout in the classroom as well, Allman completed her career as a four-time USTFCCCA All-Academic selection, a two-time Pac-12 All-Academic honoree and a two-time MPSF All-Academic pick.
Allman was the recipient of the Stanford Award of Excellence, given by the Stanford Alumni Association to graduating seniors who have demonstrated a sincere commitment to the university through involvement, leadership, and extraordinary Stanford spirit (honors top 10% of the class). She has played an active role in serving the community, participating in the East Palo Alto Tennis & Tutoring program and helping organize the Children's Day of Champions in the Bay Area. Allman, a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, has also served as a guest a speaker at the NCAA National Convention in Indianapolis and the Women's Sports Foundation event in San Francisco.
Allman is the third Stanford student-athlete to be named the Pac-12 Woman of the Year since the award was established in 2006. Women's basketball's Chiney Ogwumike was honored in 2014 and cross country/track and field's Arianna Lambie was honored in 2008.