ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – Hailey Gregg was selected as Bethel's nominee for the 2025 NCAA Women of the Year award. In addition, Gregg was chosen by the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) as the conference's nominee. The track and field standout recently graduated, boasting a 4.00 GPA with a degree in teaching English as a second language and elementary education.
 
Established in 1991, the award recognizes female student-athletes who have exhausted their eligibility and distinguished themselves in their community, in athletics and in academics throughout their college careers.
 
The Colorado Springs, Colo. native was a standout athlete on the track, where she was a three-time All-American. A five-time NCAA Championship qualifier, all appearances came with the Royals' 4x400-meter relay squad during both the indoor and outdoor seasons. She is a five-time All-MIAC honoree during the indoor season which includes a pair of MIAC Champion finishes in the 4x400-meter relay. For the outdoor season, she was a two-time MIAC Champion with the 4x400-meter relay squad in 2023 and 2025. Gregg earned honorable mention honors in the 400-meter dash in the 2023 and 2025 MIAC Outdoor Championships.
 
Gregg helped the Royals set a MIAC championship record of 3:49.64 in the 4x400-meter relay at the final conference meet of her career in May, despite battling neurocardiogenic syncope, a heart condition that can cause debilitating symptoms, including loss of consciousness after extreme physical exertion.

"My condition is triggered after every race," Gregg said. "I initially signed up for study abroad to take some pressure off my passion for track, but instead, I gained a deeper perspective on the world and my place in it… Track gave me meaningful ways to connect with people."
 
Off the track, she is a three-time Academic All-Conference honoree and a two-time MIAC Elite 22 Award winner. At the 2025 NCAA Indoor Championships, she was also named the recipient of the Elite 90 Award.
 
While studying abroad in Ecuador early in her collegiate career, Gregg aquajogged in the Amazon Rainforest and ran with locals through the Cloud Forest. That led to another study-abroad trip to India, where she learned Hindi as a recipient of a Critical Language Scholarship. As Gregg navigated the management of her syncope, she also gained invaluable experience for her future career as a multilingual educator. Upon returning to Bethel, Gregg began serving as a middle school student-teacher supporting students with special needs, as well as multilingual learners. In addition, Gregg has served in various roles in Bethel's Welcome Week Team and was a part of The 25 which is a unique cohort program designed for any leader to foster a deep understanding of women's unique career challenges and opportunities.
 
The Woman of the Year Selection Committee will select 10 student-athletes from each division, determining the Top 30 honorees.

Of the Top 30, the Woman of the Year Selection Committee will announce nine finalists, three from each NCAA division. From those nine finalists, the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics will announce the 2025 NCAA Woman of the Year at the NCAA Convention in Washington, D.C. in January 2026.