Abby Steiner, a senior sprinter from the University of Kentucky, was named the Honda Sport Award winner for Track & Field 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 46 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 2022 Honda Cup, which will be presented on a live telecast on CBS Sports Network on June 27th at 9 pm ET/6 pm PT
Steiner was chosen by a vote of administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. Finalists included Anna Hall (Florida), Jasmine Moore (Florida) and Camryn Rogers (Cal).
“It's a great honor to be selected as the track and field recipient of this award and to be nominated among so many other talented and strong women,” Steiner said. “A special thank you to my coaches, my parents, my teammates, and all the other people I have met along the way to get me to this point. It has been an honor to run track at Kentucky and be able to represent the Wildcats. Go Cats and thank you!””
Steiner, hailing from Dublin, Ohio, is an 11-time First Team U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-American as a sprinter and a 15-time All-American overall. She has twice been on the final Watch List for The Bowerman Award, given by the USTFCCCA to the top male and female collegiate athletes in track & field.
The senior captured the 2022 NCAA Outdoor Championship in the 200 Meters setting a collegiate record and now ranking No. 8 in the U.S. and 21 in world history. She also led the 4x400 Relay team to the national title after her split (48.92) took the Wildcats from fourth to first. Her 4x400 Relay team holds the collegiate record and its winning time was second fastest in NCAA meet history.
She holds several more records including the American, Collegiate, SEC and Kentucky mark in the indoor 200m as the two-time NCAA Indoor Champion in the event, and the Collegiate, SEC and Kentucky record-holder in the 300m.
Named the 2022 SEC Indoor Women’s Runner of the Year, she is a four-time SEC Champion (indoor and outdoor) and a four-time All-SEC First Team honoree.
Off the track, she is the 2022 SEC Indoor & Outdoor Scholar Athlete of the Year and a CoSIDA All-American and All-District performer in the classroom.
Steiner is the first Track & Field student-athlete from the University of Kentucky to win the Honda Award for Track & Field.
“We are so proud of Abby, who is so deserving of this honor bestowed by the Collegiate Women Sports Awards and Honda,” said head coach Lonnie Greene. “Abby exemplifies ‘The best of the best in college athletics’ because of her commitment to greatness, not just as a world-class athlete, but also as a top-class person and leader. Abby is a record breaker, a role model and a leader. For her to be the first Kentucky Wildcat to win this prestigious award for the sport of track and field is even more of a testament to what a special student-athlete and person she is. Kudos to Abby and her amazing family, as well as Coach Tim Hall and our staff here.”
“The Honda Sport Award is one of the most prestigious honors in college athletics so we are unbelievably proud of Abby Steiner for earning this accolade,” added Kentucky Director of Athletics Mitch Barnhart. “Congratulations go out to Abby, her family, coaches and those who support her. Thank you to the CWSA and Honda and the hundreds of voters who selected Abby for this honor. She is a tremendous competitor, hard-worker and role model. We are lucky to be able to work with Abby. She has an even brighter future, and we look forward to seeing what she has in store.”
The CWSA, entering its 46th 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 the areas of education, the environment, mobility, traffic safety and community. Learn more at http://csr.honda.com/.