USC’s Anna Cockrell, Tara Davis from the University of Texas and teammates Tyra Gittens and Athing Mu of Texas A&M University are the four finalists for the Class of 2021 Honda Sport Award for Track & Field 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 nominees were chosen by a panel of experts representing the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). The Honda Sport Award winner for Tennis will be announced later this week after voting by administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. Each NCAA member institution has a vote.
Cockrell, a redshirt senior from Charlotte, N.C., was the 2021 National Champion in Outdoor 100m and 400m Hurdles and was just the second person ever to win the 100m and 400m Hurdles in the same season. She broke her own 400m Hurdles school record and led USC to the 2021 National Championship team title. A three-time Pac-12 400m Hurdle Champion and the 2021 100m Hurdle champion, she was also named the Pac-12 Women’s Scholar Athlete of the Year.
Davis is a junior from Agoura Hills, Calif., and captured both the 2021 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championship titles in the Long Jump. In addition, she broke both the indoor and outdoor collegiate records in the event. She is a five-time USTFCCCA All-American and four-time selection to The Bowerman Watch List. She led Texas to the Big 12 Outdoor Championship title and was a Big 12 Champion in both the 100m and Long Jump.
The 2021 National Champion in the Indoor Pentathlon and Outdoor Heptathlon, Gittens was named the 2021 USTFCCCA Indoor Field Athlete of the Year and is a two-time SEC Cliff Harper Award winner as the top point scorer at the SEC Championship. A redshirt junior from Trinidad and Tobago, she captured the 2021 National title in Indoor High Jump and holds four TAMU all-time performer records (Indoor Long and High Jumps, Indoor Pentathlon and Outdoor Heptathlon).
Mu is a freshman mid-distance runner from Trenton, N.J. She captured the 2021 National Championship in the 400m breaking her own 400m collegiate record by .11 seconds en route to the title. The 2021 USTFCCCA National Indoor Track Athlete of the Year, she is also a member of the 2021 Indoor and Outdoor 4x400m National Championship relay team and helped set an all-time collegiate record in outdoor 4x400m. She currently holds six all-time performer records at TAMU.
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/.