Fiona Crawley, a junior from the University of North Carolina, was named the Honda Sport Award winner for Tennis 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 47 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 2023 Honda Cup, which will be presented on a live telecast on CBS Sports Network on June 26th, at 5:30 pm ET/8:30 pm PT.
Crawley was chosen by a vote of administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. Finalists included Lea Ma (Georgia), Mary Stoiana (Texas A&M) and Fangran Tian (UCLA).
Crawley captured the 2023 NCAA Doubles Championship partnering with teammate Carson Tanguilig and helped her Tar Heels to its first NCAA National Championship team title playing at No. 2 singles. The junior is a three-time ITA Individual Champion and a four-time ITA All-American.
She finished the season as the top singles players in the final ITA rankings, a spot that she held for 11 straight weeks. On the season, she went 18-2 overall at No. 1 singles and finished the season with a 46-3 record. She currently ranks sixth all-time in singles victories at UNC.
Off the courts, she is a three-time All-ACC Academic Team honoree and ACC Honor Roll member while also being named to the CSC Academic All-District Team.
“We are all so proud of Fiona winning the Honda award for women’s tennis” stated head coach Brian Kalbas. “This is the highest and most prestigious award in collegiate tennis.”
“In all of my years of coaching, there has been no one more deserving of this award. She embodies everything we want in an athlete who comes to North Carolina. The way she carries herself as a person, teammate and in the classroom, along with her accomplishments on the court makes her uniquely qualified for this award.
“This past season, Fiona won two grand slam singles events and capped it off with an NCAA doubles title. She spent the entire spring season ranked No. 1 and went undefeated in NCAA team play to help North Carolina win its first NCAA team title. Last week, she was also named ACC player of the year. Fiona also earned the sportsmanship award at the ITA indoor nationals.
“What she achieved this past season was most likely the single best season in collegiate tennis history. What goes unnoticed is how nice and considerate she is as a teammate and competitor. Both Tyler and I feel extremely lucky to coach Fiona and as a program we congratulate her on this amazing achievement.”
The CWSA, entering its 47th 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/.