Charlotte Veitner, a senior forward from the University of Connecticut, was named the Honda Sport Award winner for Field Hockey as announced by Chris Voelz, Executive Director of THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) today.
The Honda Sport Award has been presented annually by the CWSA for the past 42 years to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA- sanctioned sports and signifies “the best of the best in collegiate athletics”. With this honor, Veitner becomes a finalist for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and the prestigious 2018 Honda Cup which will be presented on a live telecast on CBS Sports Network on June 27, 2018, in downtown Los Angeles.
Veitner was chosen by a vote of administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. Finalists included Alyssa Chillano (Duke), Ashley Hoffman (North Carolina) and Lein Holsboer (Maryland).
"I’m delighted to be named the recipient of the Honda award! This year has been everything I could have possibly asked for, “said Veitner. “I want to thank everyone who supported UConn field hockey throughout this year, especially my coaches and teammates! It will probably take me a while to realize that I’m both a national champion and winner of this prestigious award but I couldn’t be more grateful to have been a part of this historic season!""
Hailing from Dusseldorf, Germany, Veitner led the Huskies to an undefeated 23-0 record en route to the 2017 National Championship title and was named the NCAA Championship MVP after scoring the game-winning goal in the championship. She led the nation in scoring ranking first in points per game (3.64) and goals per game (1.55) and led her team with 80 points and 34 goals. UConn’s most prolific scorer, she set the program’s all-time record in goals (120), points (299) and assists (63).
She is a three-time first-team National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) All-American and was named the Big East Offensive Player of the Year for the last three seasons. During her four-year career, she helped capture four Big East regular season and tournament titles for the Huskies.
“Charlotte's collegiate career was nothing less than spectacular,” UConn head coach Nancy Stevens said. “In addition to the multitude of honors she received and the remarkable number of goals she scored, Char's academic work in the School of Engineering was equally impressive. She will leave Connecticut as a two-time National Champion, who is truly deserving of the prestigious Honda Award in our sport.”
Honda Sport Award winners will be presented with the honor during on-campus presentations throughout the year.
The CWSA, in its 42nd year, honors the nation’s top NCAA women athletes recognizing superior athletic skills, leadership, academic excellence and eagerness to participate in community service. Since commencing its sponsorship in 1986, Honda has provided more than $3.1 million in institutional grants to the universities of the award winners and nominees to support women’s athletics programs at the institutions.