The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced the award on Wednesday.
According to the USTFCCCA, Medley, who is studying Business Administration, was the only female track athlete to lead the USA in two individual events.
She held down the number-one spot in the 60m with her 7.37s and she also topped the nation in the 200m in 23.57, which was the fastest mark ever recorded on an oversized track in NCAA DII history.
Medley scored 20 points at the MIAA Indoor Championships.
“It’s a very proud feeling. It gives me validation and boosts my confidence,” she told Sportsmax.TV Wednesday.
“I was the only Division II female athlete to lead the nation in two track events and clocked the fastest 200m over recorded at NCAA D2 level. I was the MIAA conference champion in both the 60 and 200m and I did all that with a not-so-good knee.”
Nevertheless, it has been a bittersweet 48 hours for the standout Jamaican as her award came a day after the International Olympic Committee postponed the 2020 Tokyo Olympics until 2021.
Medley revealed that she harboured ambitions of being in Tokyo this summer.
“Yes, I definitely had plans. I feel a bit disappointed because I was confident that I would make the team in either the 200 or 4X100 or even in both,” she said.
However, she was quick to point out the positives of the postponement.
“I will have more time for rehabilitation and more time to train harder and come back stronger,” she said.
The 28-year-old Jamaican track star was on Tuesday named among 10 nominees who were selected by an international panel of athletics experts, comprising representatives from all six continental areas of World Athletics.
World Athletics said the nominations reflect the remarkable range of exceptional performances that the sport has witnessed this year, despite the challenges that the global Covid-19 pandemic presented.
"I feel honoured to be in the company of these nine other incredibly talented ladies,” said the Jamaican, who was the only Caribbean athlete among the nominees, male or female.
“I put a lot of hard work and dedication into this year like any other, so it’s a joy to be acknowledged by World Athletics.”
Thompson-Herah ran undefeated over seven races during the season in which she ran a world-leading 10.85 over the 100m at the Diamond League meeting in Rome. She also ran a time of 10.87s in Doha at the end of the season.
The other nominees included Venezuela’s Yulimar Rojas, Femke Bol of the Netherlands, Letesenbet Gidey of Ethiopia, Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands, Peres Jepchirchir from Kenya, Faith Kipyegon of Kenya, Laura Muir of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Helen Obiri of Kenya, and Ababel Yeshaneh of Ethiopia.
According to World Athletics, the World Athletics Council and the World Athletics Family will cast their votes by email, while fans can vote online via the World Athletics' social media platforms.
Individual graphics for each nominee will be posted on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram this week; a 'like' on Facebook and Instagram or a retweet on Twitter will count as one vote.
The World Athletics Council’s vote will count for 50 per cent of the result, while the World Athletics Family’s votes and the public votes will each count for 25% of the final result.
Voting for the Female World Athlete of the Year closes at midnight on Sunday, November 15. At the conclusion of the voting process, five men and five women finalists will be announced by World Athletics.
The male and female World Athletes of the Year will be announced live at the World Athletics Awards 2020 on Saturday, December 5.
