Stephanie Colson, a junior midfielder from Gettysburg College, was named the 2018 DIII Honda Athlete of the Year nominee for Lacrosse as announced by Executive Director Chris Voelz of THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) presented by Honda.
Colson is now designated one of 11 finalists for the prestigious DIII Honda Woman Athlete of the Year. This will be voted on at the end of the academic year by national balloting among 1,000 NCAA member schools as part of THE CWSA program, now in its 42nd year.
“I am so honored and humbled to have been nominated for this award,” stated Colson. “I would never have dreamed that I would be among such top, inspiring athletes. I thank God, my family, my team and coaches who have supported and guided me throughout my lacrosse career. They have provided me with experiences that seemed out of reach. This sport and these people have taught me how to persevere in the face of hardship, how to win, how to lose, and how to demand more of yourself to raise yourself to the next level on or off the field. I could not be prouder to be recognized as a part of this group of incredible athletes and people.”
Colson led her team to back-to-back National Championship titles and both times was named the NCAA Championship Most Outstanding Player. After missing 12 weeks of competition as a sophomore last year, this season, she was named a unanimous selection to the 2018 All-Centennial Conference first-team and earned Centennial Conference Championship MVP honors and All-Tournament honors.
The junior from Westminster, Md., set a program and conference single season record in draw controls with 140 on the year. She became the second athlete in program history to record over 100 draw controls and also set a school single game record with 14 versus Westfield State. She tied as the team leader in scoring with 76 points on 50 goals and 26 assists.
“What an incredible honor for an incredible young woman,” said head coach Carol Cantele. “This is such exciting news for Steph Colson, our women’s lacrosse program and for Gettysburg College. Steph Colson is a fearless competitor who competes with integrity and class. We could not be prouder to have this incredible woman represent all of Division III in women’s lacrosse."
All Honda Sports nominees from DIII and DII become a finalist for the prestigious 2018 Honda Woman Athlete of the Year in their respective divisions, presented in a live telecast on CBS Sports on June 25, 2018, in downtown Los Angeles. The Honda Sports nominees are recognized in 11 DIII and DII NCAA-sanctioned sports; cross country, basketball, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, volleyball, and track & field.
THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards has honored the nation’s top NCAA women athletes for 42 years, 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.