Rachel Heck, a freshman from Stanford University, was named the Honda Sport Award winner for Golf as announced today by Chris Voelz, Executive Director of THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA).
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.
Heck was chosen by a vote of administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. Finalists included teammate Angelina Ye (Stanford), Emma Spitz (UCLA) and Maja Stark (Oklahoma State).
“It is such an honor to win this award and to have my name listed alongside 11 other incredible women,” said Heck. “I am so grateful for every opportunity this game has given me, and I owe it all to my coaches, teammates, and family who have supported me every step of the way.”
Heck, a freshman from Memphis, Tenn., was the 2021 NCAA Golf Championship individual medalist 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 and most recently was named the Pac-12 Golfer and Newcomer of the Year. The rookie became the third woman in NCAA history to sweep the postseason, winning the Pac-12 Championship, NCAA Regional and NCAA Championship.
Finishing the year ranked first in Golfstat, the rookie set a new NCAA record with a 69.72 scoring average and 15 of her 25 rounds were in the 60s. She captured six events in 2021 including each or her last five tournaments.
On the national stage, she was the 2020 U.S. Women’s Amateur medalist and a member of the 2019 Junior Solheim Cup championship team with Team USA. Most recently, she competed at the U.S. Women’s Open making the cut and finishing T35th this past weekend at The Olympic Club in San Francisco. She will be competing in another LPGA Event later this week at the LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship.
“We are thrilled to have the 2020-21 Honda Sport Award for Golf winner in Rachel Heck,” said head coach Anne Walker. “She was outstanding on the golf course this year, setting records at every turn. But more impressive, she was the consummate teammate and leader. It is privilege to coach Rachel and I couldn’t think of a more deserving winner.”
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/.