Chelsea Raineri – a Colonials gymnast and 2017 graduate – was nominated for the 2017 NCAA Woman of the Year Award after her fourth year in Foggy Bottom, the Atlantic 10 conference announced Tuesday.
Nominees from the A-10 were chosen “for being standout citizens with robust academic success, complemented by competitive athletic resumes, while sustaining dynamic leadership in their communities,” a release from the conference said.
Raineri ended her gymnastics career on a high note after qualifying in vault for the 2017 NCAA Gymnastics Championship for the first time in her career, becoming the third gymnast in program history to make an appearance on the national level.
The Telford, Pa. native was GW’s first-ever 2017 NCAA Regional Champion after tying for first place on the vault in April at the Morgantown Regional. She was also named East Atlantic Gymnastics League Specialist of the Week four times during the 2017 season.
Raineri was a four-time EAGL first-team selection for the vault and two-time first-team selection for floor exercise, helping lead the Colonials to two EAGL titles in 2015 and 2017. She was also named to the EAGL All-Academic team in 2014.
She has volunteered her time with organizations including Special Olympics, Race to Beat Cancer, Martha’s Table and the D.C. Food Bank.
Raineri will be the only athlete from an A-10 school competing among a national pool for the selection of finalists. The winner will be announced Oct. 22 in Indianapolis.
