A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| Honda Sports Award | |
|---|---|
| Awarded for | Top female athletes in 12 different NCAA-sanctioned sports reflecting athletic achievement, scholastics and community involvement |
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | Collegiate Women Sports Awards (starting in 2001) |
| First awarded | 1976 |
| Website | Official website |
The Honda Sports Award is an annual award in the United States, given to the best collegiate female athlete in each of twelve sports. There are four nominees for each sport, and the twelve winners of the Honda Sports Award are automatically in the running for the Honda-Broderick Cup award, as the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year. Three other athletes are honored as the Division II Athlete of the Year, Division III Athlete of the Year, and Inspiration Award winner.
Process
Winners are selected in each of the 12 NCAA-sanctioned sports by a panel of more than 1,000 NCAA administrators. Three other athletes are honored as the Division II Athlete of the Year, Division III Athlete of the Year, and Inspiration Award winner. Each woman is selected not only for her superior athletic skills, but also for her leadership abilities, academic excellence and eagerness to participate in community service.
At the end of the year, one deserving athlete will be chosen as the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and receive the coveted Honda-Broderick Cup. Past winners of this prestigious award include Jackie Joyner and Mia Hamm.
Honda has donated more than $3.4 million in grants and scholarships to the universities over the course of the program.[1]
History of the awards
The Awards were first created in 1976,[2] when Tom Broderick, an owner of an apparel store in Fergus, Ontario, decided to partner with Judie Holland, the senior women's administrator at UCLA[3] and Irv Grossman, a journalist, sports marketer and media consultant,[4] to create awards to recognize top female athletes at the collegiate level.[5]
The first awards were given in 1977, for Division I athletes, initially in ten sports and later expanded to 12 sports:
- Basketball
- Cross Country
- Field Hockey
- Golf
- Gymnastics
- Softball
- Swimming & Diving
- Tennis
- Track & Field
- Volleyball
- Soccer (added in 1990)
- Lacrosse (added in 2001)
Each of these awards was initially called the Broderick Award. In addition to an individual award for a recipient in each of the ten sports, an overall winner across all sports was selected, and that individual also received an award, called the Broderick Cup, representing the top female athlete in collegiate athletics.
Although athletics prowess was a major consideration in the selection process, the selection committee considered "not only athletic achievement but also the ideals of team contribution, scholastic endeavor, school and community involvement and those personal characteristics as stated in the philosophy of the NCAA".[5]
In 1985, American Honda agreed to become the main sponsor of the awards, so the name of the award was changed to the Honda-Broderick Award for each of the individual sports, and the Honda-Broderick Cup for the overall winner.[5]
In 1988, three new awards were created. Two awards recognize Division II and Division III athletes, respectively with a single award for each division covering all athletes in all of the designated sports.[6] The third award is the Inspiration Award, which goes to a female athlete who has had to overcome hardship. Nominees are provided by all NCAA sanctioned schools and the organization Board of Directors makes the final selection.[7]
Between 1995 and 2008 the organization also selected a recipient of an Award of Merit. The potential recipients were not collegiate athletes, but individuals and organization who contributed significantly to:
- Public awareness and appreciation of women’s collegiate athletics
- Elevation of the status of women’s collegiate sports on a national level[7]
This award was renamed the Irv Grossman Award of Merit in 2007, after his passing in 2006.
The recipients of this award have been:[8]
- 1995 Charlotte West (Southern Illinois)
- 1996 Phyllis Howlett (Big Ten Conference)
- 1997 Christine Grant (Iowa)
- 1998 Judith M. Sweet (UC San Diego)
- 1999 Judith R. Holland (UCLA)
- 2000 Barbara Hedges (Washington)
- 2002 Ruth Berkey (NCAA)
- 2003 Patsy Mink (Senator, Hawaii)
- 2004 Birch Bayh (Senator, Indiana)
- 2007 Vivian Stringer (Head Coach, Rutgers Women's Basketball)
- 2007 Rutgers Women's Basketball (Women's Basketball Team)
- 2008 Women's Sports Foundation (WSF, Founded by Billie Jean King)[9]
Award ceremony
Honda Sports Award announcement for the winners of the twelve sports are scheduled throughout the school year, following the completion of the post-season tournament. Other awards are presented as part of a two day event,[10] typically in late June of each year.
The Collegiate Women Sports Award (CWSA) partnered with ESPNU for the 2013 event,[11] and since 2014, have partnered with CBS to televise the announcement of the following awards:[12]
- Honda Inspiration Award
- Honda Division II Player of the Year
- Honda Division III Player of the Year
- "Top Three" finalists selected from the twelve award winners of each individual sport
- Honda Cup for the overall Collegiate Woman of the Year
Since 2013, the annual event has been held at the USC Founders Club at Galen Center in Los Angeles.[11]
The 2020 award ceremony scheduled for June has been cancelled due to Covid-19.[13]
Pre-2000 Winners and nominees
For award winners and nominees prior to 2000, see Honda Sports Award pre 2000 winners and nominees
2000–01 Winners and nominees
Sources:[14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26]
| Sport | Winner | College | Finalists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basketball | Jackie Stiles | Southwest Missouri State | Svetlana Abrosimova, Connecticut; Tamika Catchings, Tennessee; Ruth Riley, Notre Dame |
| Cross Country | Kara Grgas-Wheeler | Colorado | Shalane Flanagan, North Carolina; Sabrina Monro, Montana; Erica Palmer, Wisconsin |
| Field Hockey | Marina Digiacomo | Old Dominion | Traci Anselmo, Penn State; Kelli Gannon, Michigan; Carla Tagliente, Maryland |
| Golf | Candy Hannemann | Duke | Natalie Gulbis, Arizona; Candie Kung, Arizona; Lorena Ochoa, Arizona |
| Gymnastics | Mohini Bhardwaj | UCLA | Bridget Knaeble, Michigan; Suzanne Sears, Georgia; Onni Willis, UCLA |
| Lacrosse | Jen Adams | Maryland | Quinn Carney, Maryland; Bowen Holden, Georgetown; Sheehan Stanwick, Georgetown |
| Soccer | Meredith Florance | North Carolina | Meghan Anderson, Nebraska; Anne Makinen, Notre Dame; Tracey Milburn, UCLA; Christie Welsh, Penn State |
| Softball | Jennie Finch | Arizona | Oli Keohohou, BYU/Hawaii; Kelly Kretschman, Alabama; Stacey Nuveman, UCLA |
| Swimming & Diving | Misty Hyman | Stanford | Maggie Bowen, Auburn; Natalie Coughlin, California; Colleen Lanne’, Texas |
| Tennis | Laura Granville | Stanford | Bea Bielik, Wake Forest; Ansley Cargill, Duke; Michelle Dasso, Notre Dame |
| Track & Field | Brenda Taylor | Harvard | Tracy O’Hara, UCLA; Christina Tolson, UCLA; Angela Williams, USC |
| Volleyball | Greichaly Cepero | Nebraska | Kara Gormsen, University of the Pacific; Sherisa Livingston, Wisconsin; Logan Tom, Stanford |
| Award | Winner | Sport | College |
|---|---|---|---|
| Honda Cup Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year | Jackie Stiles | Basketball | Southwest Missouri State |
| Honda Inspiration Award winner | Kendra Berner | Swimming & Diving | Davidson |
| DII Honda Athlete of the Year | Jessica Martin | Swimming & Diving | Truman State |
| DIII Honda Athlete of the Year | Tasha Rogers | Basketball | Washington (St. Louis) |
2001–02 Winners and nominees
Sources:[14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26]
| Sport | Winner | College | Finalists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basketball | Sue Bird | Connecticut | Chantelle Anderson, Vanderbilt; Alana Beard, Duke; Diana Taurasi, Connecticut |
| Cross Country | Tara Chaplin | Arizona | Lauren Fleshman, Stanford; Renee Metivier, Georgia Tech; Kristin Price, North Carolina State |
| Field Hockey | Autumn Welsh | Maryland | Jemima Cameron, Wake Forest; Llvy Friebe, Princeton; Adrienne Yoder, Old Dominion |
| Golf | Virada Nirapathpongpora | Duke | Danielle Downey, Auburn; Lorena Ochoa, Arizona; Summer Sirmons, Georgia |
| Gymnastics | Andree’ Pickens | Alabama | Jamie Dantzscher, UCLA; MaryAnne Kelley, Minnesota; Theresa Kulikowski, Utah |
| Lacrosse | Erin Elbe | Georgetown | Rachel Becker, Princeton; Christine McPike, North Carolina; Jaimee Reynolds, Cornell |
| Soccer | Aly Wagner | Santa Clara | Joanna Lohman, Penn State; Abby Wambach, Florida; Christie Welsh, Penn State |
| Softball | Jennie Finch | Arizona | Stacey Nuveman, UCLA; Jamie Southern, Fresno State; Natasha Watley, UCLA |
| Swimming & Diving | Natalie Coughlin | California | Maggie Bowen, Auburn; Maritza Correia, Georgia; Shelly Ripple, Stanford |
| Tennis | Bea Bielik | Wake Forest | Erin Burdette, Stanford; Gabriela Lastra, Stanford; Jessica Lehnhoff, Florida |
| Track & Field | Angela Williams | USC | Brianna Glenn, Arizona; Muna Lee, LSU; Melissa Price, Nebraska |
| Volleyball | Logan Tom | Logan Tom | Emily Adams, USC; Aury Cruz, Florida; Kim Willoughby, Hawai'i |
| Award | Winner | Sport | College |
|---|---|---|---|
| Honda Cup Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year | Angela Williams | USC | Track & Field |
| Honda Inspiration Award winner | Kristin Koetsier | Basketball | Western Michigan |
| DII Honda Athlete of the Year | Nicole Duncan | Track & Field | Cal State (LA) |
| DIII Honda Athlete of the Year | Julia Bergofsky | Field Hockey | Middlebury |
2002–03 Winners and nominees
Sources:[14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26]
| Sport | Winner | College | Finalists |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basketball | Diana Taurasi | Connecticut | Alana Beard, Duke; Nicole Ohlde, Kansas State; Latoya Thomas, Mississippi State |
| Cross Country | Shalane Flanagan | North Carolina | Alicia Craig, Stanford; Lauren Fleshman, Stanford; Kate O’Neill, Yale |
| Field Hockey | Tiffany Snow | Old Dominion | Marcie Boyer, New Hampshire; Llvy Friebe, Princeton; April Fronzoni, Michigan |
| Golf | Mikaela Parmlid | USC | Erica Blasberg, Arizona; Katherine Hull, Pepperdine; Lindsey Wright, Pepperdine |
| Gymnastics | Onni Willis | UCLA | Jamie Dantzscher, UCLA; Theresa Kulikowski, Utah; Richelle Simpson, Nebraska |
| Lacrosse | Rachael Becker | Princeton | Lauren Aumiller, Virginia; Kelly Coppedge, Maryland; Suzanne Eyler, Loyola College |
| Soccer | Christine Sinclair | Portland | Joanna Lohman, Penn State; Catherine Reddick, North Carolina; Aly Wagner, Santa Clara |
| Softball | Natasha Watley | UCLA | Lovie Jung, Arizona; Cat Osterman, Texas; Kristen Rivera, Washington |
| Swimming & Diving | Natalie Coughlin | California | Maggie Bowen, Auburn; Maritza Correia, Georgia; Shelly Ripple, Stanford |
| Tennis | Vilmarie Castellvi | Tennessee | Agata Cioroch, Georgia; Amber Liu, Stanford; Kelly McCain, Duke |
| Track & Field | Elva Goulbourne | Auburn | Laura Gerraughty, North Carolina; Muna Lee, LSU; Raasin McIntosh, Texas |
| Volleyball | Logan Tom | Stanford | Emily Adams, USC; Aury Cruz, Florida; Kim Willoughby, Hawaii |
| Award | Winner | Sport | College |
|---|---|---|---|
| Honda Cup Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year | Natasha Watley | Softball | UCLA |
| Honda Inspiration Award winner | Kristy McPherson | Golf | South Carolina |
| DII Honda Athlete of the Year | Missy Gregg | Soccer | Christian Brothers |
| DIII Honda Athlete of the Year | Libby Hysell | Softball | Central |
2003–04 Winners and nominees
Sources:[14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26]