WASHINGTON —The Atlantic 10 Conference has named two outstanding student-athletes as nominees for the prestigious NCAA Woman of the Year Award. Saint Louis standout Journey Amundson and VCU star Gudrun Hallgrimsdottir, both of whom are track and field athletes, were chosen the league candidates for one of the NCAA’s most celebrated honors.
Both were chosen as the conference nominees by the Atlantic 10’s Senior Woman Administrators (SWAs) based on their athletic successes, academic abilities, leadership prowess and community involvement. They were selected from a conference-wide record pool of 13 outstanding institutional nominees, representing eight different sports and 12 A-10 member institutions.
“Congratulations to Journey and Gudrun on their selection as the two Atlantic 10 Conference NCAA Woman of the Year nominees,” stated A-10 Commissioner Bernadette V. McGlade. “Both have proven themselves athletically with standout performances during the regular season and at NCAA Regionals and Nationals. Journey and Gudrun have been stellar students, teammates as well as campus and community leaders. They are perfect representatives of the A-10 and strong candidates for this prestigious national award.”
Per the NCAA, all conference-level nominees are forwarded to the Woman of the Year selection committee. The selection committee will choose the top 10 honorees in each division. From among those 30 honorees, the selection committee will determine the three finalists in each division. Finally, the members of the Committee on Women’s Athletics will vote from among the top nine finalists to determine the 2025 NCAA Woman of the Year.
Amundson is a four-time conference triple jump and long jump champion in indoor and outdoor track and field, and she has medaled six times during her career. A team captain, she holds the SLU indoor record in the triple jump and long jump, and the outdoor record in the triple jump. She also is a member of the SLU record-breaking 4x100 meter relay team. Amundson has twice qualified for NCAA Regionals in the triple jump. A transfer from Macalaster College, she was also Division III All-Region four times and was the MIAC Field Athlete of the Year and she holds five records for the Scots. She also was a Second Team All-American at the 2023 Division III NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships.
An Iron River, Wis., product, Amundson was a three-time Division I USTFCCA Academic honoree, a recognition she also received five times at the Division III level. A member of the Atlantic 10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll, she also earned the highest GPA in Saint Louis’ College of Public Health and Social Justice. While at Macalaster, she earned several academic accolades in chemistry, health, science and Spanish. She earned her undergraduate degree in chemistry with a biochemistry emphasis and her Master’s Degree in Public Health. Amundson was very active in the community, both in volunteer opportunities and leadership roles. She served as a host and workshop leader for Building TogetHER for female athletes and also led educational opportunities on NIL for nationwide student-athletes, including speaking at the NCAA Convention. She also tutors high school students in math and science, coached high school track and field and she worked for the Saint Louis Athletic Department.
Hallgrimsdottir is a seven-time Atlantic 10 champion, with four gold medals in the hammer throw and three more in the weight throw. The 2025 indoor national runner-up and a two-time NCAA East Region champion, she placed fifth in the NCAA hammer throw nationally in the 2024 outdoor championship and sixth at the 2025 outdoor championship and fourth in the NCAA indoor championship in the weight throw. She has advanced to NCAA nationals five times and is a five-time All-America honoree. She holds A-10 and VCU records in the hammer and weight throw and was the 2022 Most Outstanding Rookie Performer. She also has competed at the European Championships multiple times.
A native of Hvanneyri, Iceland, Halgrimsdottir graduated cum laude in 2025 with a biology degree. She is a two-time A-10 All-Academic Team selection and a four-time VCU Dean’s List honoree. Her work also includes volunteering with the Richmond Marathon and participating in a Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., service day with VCU Athletics.