Stanford University teammates Rachel Heck and Angelina Ye, Emma Spitz of UCLA and Oklahoma State University’s Maja Stark are the four finalists for the Class of 2021 Honda Sport Award for Golf 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 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.
The golf finalists were chosen by a panel of experts representing the Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA). The Honda Sport award winner for field hockey will be announced next week after voting by administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. Each NCAA member institution has a vote.
Heck, a freshman from Memphis, Tenn., was the 2021 NCAA Golf Championship individual winner and is just the second freshman ever to win the prestigious ANNIKA Award presented by Stifel, recognizing the most outstanding female NCAA DI college golfer. She also earned 2021 PING WGCA Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year honors. The rookie became the third woman in NCAA history to sweep the postseason, winning the Pac-12 Championship, NCAA Regional and NCAA Championship.
Ye hails from Shanghai, China, and finished her sophomore campaign with a 71.36 scoring average, which is third-best in school history. A 2021 WGCA first-team All-American, she posted 11 rounds at par or better, including six in the 60s and a career-best 7-under 65 in the third round of the NCAA Championship. She was the NCAA Regional runner-up and finished third at the NCAA Championship.
Spitz is a sophomore from Vienna, Austria, and is a two-time ANNIKA Award finalist as well as a two-time WGCA first-team All-American. She was runner-up at the 2021 NCAA Individual Championship and was the top finisher for the Bruins in seven of nine events, with all of those being in the Top 4. She posted a 71.6 scoring average, with 16 of her 27 rounds being under par, including six in the 60s.
A sophomore from Abbekas, Sweden, Stark was a 2021 ANNIKA Award finalist and a 2021 WGCA first-team All-American. She led Oklahoma State to a national runner-up finish at the 2021 NCAA Championship and set a program record with a stroke average of 70.48 (-1.42 to par). She finished the year ranked No. 4 nationally by GolfStat and went 49-2 in head-to-head competition again top-100 players in the country.
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 underrepresented students, preserving the environment for future generations, creating safety for everyone, and strengthening our communities. Learn more at http://csr.honda.com/.