EAST GREENSBORO – Five standout Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) student-athletes have been selected as institutional nominees for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award. North Carolina A&T women's track and field hurdler Paula Salmon is one of those nominees. 

Delaware fifth-year softball player Hanna Garber, UNCW softball graduate student Janel Gamache, Hampton women's track and field junior Dejah Grant, and Drexel women's basketball graduate student Keishana Washington are the CAA institutional nominees recognized by the NCAA for the four pillars of academics, athletics, service and leadership. 

 Salmon (Brooklyn, NY), who graduated with a 3.40 GPA and a bachelor's degree in kinesiology, is arguably the best 100-meter hurdler in program history. She finished her career with three outdoor All-America honors, including two first-team honors. She is the first female Aggie to earn three All-America honors in the 100H and the first to earn two first-team All-America accolades in the event. In addition, she is a two-time first-team indoor All-America in the 60H. 

She had a fabulous final season for the Aggies during the indoor and outdoor seasons. Despite not winning the 60H CAA title, she finished with the fastest 60H time in the CAA during the 2023 season with an 8.19 at the University of South Carolina Invitational.   

Her outdoor season was more prosperous. She earned CAA women's athlete of the year after finishing eighth nationally at the 2023 NCAA championships in the 100H with a 12.91. All four of Salmon's postseason 100H times were under 13 seconds (three of those times were wind-aided) after not going under 13 all season. Salmon also won the CAA title in the 100H, running a meet-record 13.25. She also helped the 4x100-meter relay team finish second.    

She recently competed in the Jamaican National Championships in the 100H, finishing in 12.95 in the preliminary and 13.22 in the final.