HILTON HEAD, S.C. – Samford's Karisa Nelson, a junior standout on the track and cross country teams, was named the Southern Conference's Female Athlete of the Year when the SoCon released its annual awards Tuesday at the league meetings in Hilton Head, S.C. Nelson, along with Male Athlete of the Year, Will Bagrou of Mercer, will be honored as part of the league's annual Honors Dinner Wednesday evening.
 
"The year Karisa has had so far has been incredible," Samford Athletics Director Martin Newton said. "Her historic accomplishments have made everyone at Samford proud, and we look forward to seeing her perform at the NCAA Championships next week. Not only is she outstanding on the track, but she has also proven herself in the classroom in a challenging major like biochemistry, and she gives of herself selflessly in several community service initiatives. She is what we want Samford student-athletes to be, and she is the definition of Samford Strong."
 
Nelson becomes just the second Bulldog to win the award, joining volleyball's Michaela Reesor, who claimed the award for the 2014-15 school year. This year as a junior Nelson became Samford's first Division I national champion as she won the women's indoor mile. Her time of 4:31.24 was four seconds better than her previous best time. Earlier in the winter, she won the indoor mile at the Southern Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships.
 
In the spring, she won the women's 1500-meter run at the SoCon outdoor championships. Last week, Nelson competed at the NCAA Outdoor East Regional, also in the 1,500-meter run. She qualified for the NCAA Championships by placing third with a time of 4:11.86. She will compete in the NCAA Outdoor Championships, June 7-10 in Eugene, Ore. Earlier this spring she registered the fastest collegiate time in the nation in the 1500-meter run, turning in a tally of 4:10.91 at the world-renown Payton Jordan Invitational, which annually produces a collection of world-, U.S.-, and collegiate-leading times.
 
During the fall of 2016, Nelson was named the league's Women's Cross Country Runner of the Year after winning the 5k event in Chattanooga, Tenn. She placed 21^st at the NCAA cross country championships and earned honorable-mention All-America honors.
 
Nelson holds a 3.0 GPA in biochemistry at Samford and has been named to the Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll. In addition to her studies, she has volunteered with the Christian Services Ministry and has been a part of an initiative to plant trees on Lakeshore Drive adjacent to the Samford campus.

The conference's athletic directors and a media member representing each conference school select the SoCon Athlete of the Year awards annually. The award recognizes athletic achievement, academic performance and civic involvement.