Rachel Garcia, a redshirt senior from UCLA, was named the Honda Sport Award winner for Softball for the second consecutive year as announced today by Chris Voelz, Executive Director of THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA). In 2019, Garcia went on to become the fifth Bruin overall and third softball player from UCLA to win the prestigious Honda Cup.
The Honda Sport Award has been presented annually by the CWSA for the past 45 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 2021 Honda Cup, which will be presented on a telecast on CBS Sports Network on June 28th at 9 pm ET.
Garcia was chosen by a vote of administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. Finalists included Montana Fouts (Alabama), Dejah Mulipola (Arizona) and Sami Williams (Iowa State).
“I’m so thrilled to have the privilege to receive the Honda Award for softball!” said Garcia. “It is such an honor to be named alongside Dejah Mulipola, Montana Fouts and Sami Williams, who are such standouts in this sport. Especially after this past year of challenges and uncertainty we’ve all been through, I couldn’t be more proud to represent UCLA as a student-athlete and to call myself a Bruin. It has truly been the most rewarding experience of my life. I sincerely thank my coaches, teammates, staff, fans and family for their incredible support and for helping me achieve this humbling accomplishment. I could not do what I do without them.”
A redshirt senior pitcher from Palmdale, Calif., Garcia is the Class of 2019 Honda Cup winner, a two-time Honda Sport Award winner for Softball and a three-time Honda Award finalist. She was named the 2021 Senior CLASS Award winner for Softball and the Pac-12 Player of the Year for the third time in a row and most recently was named the 2021 Schutt Sports/NFCA Division I National Player for the third time in her career. She is a four-time NFCA first-team All-American and All-Pac-12 first-team honoree and will be a 2021 Olympian with Team USA.
She ended the regular season leading the nation in ERA (0.60) and a 17-1 record, with 162 strikeouts in 18.1 innings pitched entering the WCWS. Averaging .342 at the plate, she led the team all year in on-base percentage (.473) and finished as the leader in slugging percentage (.708).
She finishes her career at UCLA ranked tied for second all-time in career saves (11), third in strikeouts (996), fourth in wins (99), fifth in plate appearances (149) and sixth in innings pitched (748.2).
“I am so proud that Rachel has received the Honda Award for the third time,” said head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez. “Rachel is the best two-way player since Lisa Fernandez, so it’s only fitting that they are the two Bruins to have received this honor at least three times. Rachel has impacted the game in the circle and at the plate consistently in big moments all year. She has left her mark on the college game and I can’t wait to see her go for the gold with Team USA in Tokyo this summer.”
The CWSA, celebrating its 45th anniversary 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 partnership in 1986, Honda has provided more than $3.4 million in institutional grants to the universities of the award winners and nominees to support women’s athletics programs.
About Honda Corporate Social Responsibility
For more than 60 years in the U.S., Honda has been committed to making positive contributions to the communities where its associates live and work. Honda’s mission is to create products and services that improve the lives of people while conducting its business in a sustainable manner and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. Accordingly, Honda believes in helping people reach their life’s potential through its focus on improving children’s health, inspiring