Sam Apuzzo from Boston College, James Madison’s Kristen Gaudian, Marie McCool of North Carolina and Kylie Ohlmiller from Stony Brook are the four nominees for the Class of 2018 Honda Sport Award for Lacrosse 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”. The winner of the sport award 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 Monday, June 25, 2018, in downtown Los, Angeles.
The nominees were chosen by a panel of coaches representing the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA). The Honda Sport award winner for softball will be announced next week after voting by administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. Each NCAA member institution has a vote.
Apuzzo, a junior attack player from West Babylon, N.Y., was named the 2018 Tewaaraton Award winner recognizing her as the top player in the nation. She was the 2018 ACC Attacker of the Year and is a two-time first-team All-ACC honoree. She led her team to the ACC regular season title while pacing the Eagles with 129 points on 88 goals and 41 assists. Her 88 goals broke her own single season scoring record.
Gaudian is a senior attack player from Fairfax Station, Va., and was a 2018 Tewaaraton finalist after leading her program to its first-ever NCAA Championship title in its first appearance in the title game. She was the CAA Player of the Year and earned NCAA Championship All-Tournament team honors. She led the country in shooting percentage (.656) and led the league in scoring with 80 goals and 16 assists for 96 points.
McCool hails from Moorestown, N.J., and was named the 2018 ACC Midfielder of the Year and is two-time Tewaaraton finliast. The senior midfielder is also a two-time Honda Award nominee and a two-time IWLCA first-team All-American. She led UNC and set a new program mark in draw controls with a career-high 165 on the year. She is a three-time first-team All-ACC performer and is the reigning ACC Scholar-Athlete of the year for women’s lacrosse.
Ohlmiller is also a two-time Tewaaraton finalist and a two-time Honda Award nominee. A native of Islip, N.Y., the senior attack player has been named America East Offensive Player of the Year the last two seasons and is a four-time first-team America East All-Conference performer. Most recently, she was named the America East Woman of the Year. She led the nation in points with 157 on the season and finished her career with an NCAA record 498 points and 246 assists.
Honda Sport Award winners will be presented with the honor during on-campus presentations throughout the year and all Honda Sport Award winners become a finalist for the prestigious 2018 Honda Cup award presented in June.
The CWSA, celebrating its 42nd year, has honored the nation’s top NCAA women athletes for their 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.