Women's Golf | 06/27/2019

ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – Over the course of her college career, Natalie Amundson found a way to balance being an intercollegiate athlete, a nursing major and giving back to the campus and local community.
 
Amundson, a nursing major, recently wrapped up a standout career with the College of Saint Benedict golf team while maintaining a 3.87 GPA and finding time to be involved in campus ministry, tutoring and Special Olympics.
 
After winning the CSB athletic department's Presidential Award this May, Amundson has been named as Saint Benedict's 2019 nominee for the NCAA's Woman of the Year award.
 
Amundson is one of a record 585 female college athletes nominated for the 2019 Woman of the Year award, and one of 192 Division III nominees. Amundson's nomination now heads to the conference level where the MIAC will select up to two nominees to move forward to the national level. The conference office is expected to announce its nominee later this month.
 
The NCAA Woman of the Year award honors academic achievements, athletics excellence, community service and leadership of graduating female college athletes from all three divisions.
 
In the classroom, Amundson was a member of the Dean's list each semester and was inducted into the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. On the golf course, she earned four All-MIAC honors and graduated with CSB's school record for scoring average in a career. On campus she was a nursing department tutor and TA, and in the community she coached Special Olympics golf and was involved in the Diabetes Prevention Program.
 
After receiving conference nominees, the NCAA will choose the Top 30 honorees – 10 from each Division. Saint Benedict has had two individuals make it to the top 30 in the past five years. Former soccer standout Colleen Bouchard was a Top 30 finalist in 2014, and Allison Kosobud – a key athlete for both the cross country and track and field programs – made it to the Top 30 in 2017.