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Collegiate Women Sports Awards
Composite Schedule

Awards Overview

The Collegiate Women Sports Awards Program

The Collegiate Women Sports Awards program annually recognizes the accomplishments of female athletes in NCAA-member colleges with a variety of prestigious awards. These include:

  • Honda Sports Award: The Honda Sports Award acknowledges athletic achievement as well as scholastics and community involvement, and is given to female athletes in 12 different NCAA-sanctioned sports throughout the year. In the fall, athletes are honored for their achievement in sports including soccer, volleyball, cross country, field hockey; in winter, gymnastics, basketball, swimming & diving; and in spring, lacrosse, softball, golf, tennis and track & field. Each Honda Sports Award winner is recognized as the top collegiate female athlete in her sport, and the award is considered by many as one of the highest honors a female college athlete can receive in the nation.
  • Top Three:  The Top Three for Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year are chosen from among the 12 Honda Sports Award winners. The Top Three vying for the program’s top honor, the Honda Cup, exemplify the very best attributes of all Honda Sports Award winners, including excellence and leadership in their sport, as well as outstanding academic achievement and community involvement.
  • Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year:  The CWSA’s highest honor, the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year is chosen by the CWSA Board of Directors from the Top Three and is presented with the Honda Cup. This cup has been bestowed in the past on such talented and accomplished athletes as Mia Hamm, Cheryl Miller, Tara Kirk, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Misty May and Candace Parker.
  • Division II and Division III Athletes of the Year:  Division II and Division III Athlete of the Year awards are given to the nation’s top collegiate female athletes in their respective Divisions, chosen from 11 different sports, with each having one nominee derived from coaches’ panels, All-America committees or finish at the respective national championship. Sports include: basketball, cross country, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field, and volleyball.
  • The Honda Inspiration Award is given to a female athlete who has overcome hardship and was able to return to play at the collegiate level. A call for nominations to all SWAs, Sports Information Directors and Athletic Directors of all NCAA-sanctioned schools provides the candidates for this award. A special committee of the CWSA Board reads all the submitted materials for these candidates and narrows down the field to the most worthy candidates. Then the entire Board of Directors chooses the Inspiration Award winner.
  • Irv Grossman Award of Merit: Throughout the years, The Collegiate Women Sports Awards program has periodically chosen to honor both individuals and groups with its Award of Merit. This is not a yearly award, but an award that the CWSA chooses to present on a case-by-case basis. The award recognizes unique achievement as it contributes to public awareness and appreciation of women’s collegiate athletics and elevates the status of women’s collegiate sports on a national level. In 2007 the Award of Merit was renamed the Irv Grossman Award of Merit. Irv was a highly respected journalist, sports marketer and media consultant and one of the founders of the Collegiate Women Sports Awards program. Throughout his career, he spearheaded many innovative campaigns and events in both collegiate and professional sports, particularly in the field of women’s athletics. Irv passed away in May 2006.
  • The Dr. Judie Holland Legacy Award is designed to recognize those who have played a significant role in the success of The Collegiate Women Sports Awards program. Established in 2017, this award is not necessarily an annual award but is given in the years when the most deserving person is identified.

Selection Process for Honda Sports Awards and Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year

Nominations: Nominations for the 12 Division I individual Honda Sports Awards come from coaches’ panels, All-America committees or finish at the respective national championships. Four nominees for each sport are received for the 12 Division I Honda Sports Awards. The nominee selection process for individual Honda Sports Awards in each of the 12 sports is as follows:

•     Basketball: Selected by the NCAA Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA).
•     Cross Country: Selected by finish at NCAA Cross Country Championships.
•     Field Hockey: Selected by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA).
•     Golf: Selected by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA).
•     Gymnastics: Selected by the Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WGCA).
•     Lacrosse: Selected by the United States Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Association (USILWCA).
•     Soccer: Selected by the United Soccer Coaches.
•     Softball: Selected by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA).
•     Swimming & Diving: Selected by the College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association (CSCAA).
•     Tennis: Selected by NCAA Championship and ITA rankings.
•     Track & Field: Selected by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
•     Volleyball: Selected by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-America Selection Committee.

Voting Procedure

Finalists for the 12 Division I Honda Sports Awards are submitted by ballot for voting by Senior Women Administrators at approximately 1,000 NCAA member institutions. According to the criteria for voting, the award winner is to reflect “not only athletic achievement but also the ideals of team contribution, scholastic endeavor, school and community involvement and those personal characteristics as are stated in the philosophy of the NCAA.”

In June, the 12 winners are placed on the final ballot of the year and by vote of the NCAA schools the Top Three are determined. The CWSA Board of Directors then reviews the Top Three and by confidential vote the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year is designated, to be announced at the annual June awards ceremony.

For selection of the Division II and III Honda Sports Award winners, ballots are sent to the Division II and Division III Senior Women Administrators in June with 11 finalists and their bios.

Annual Awards Event

Each year, the CWSA hosts its honoree Class for a two-day event in New York City. The Class includes 12 Division I Honda Sport Award winners, the Honda Division II and Division III Athletes of the Year, and the Honda Inspiration Award recipient. The two-day invitation-only celebration brings together the honorees, their travel parties, members of the CWSA Board of Directors, and distinguished VIPs, and culminates in a live national broadcast during which the Top Three are announced and the Honda Cup is ultimately presented to the nation’s Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year.

Sponsorship

Honda, the presenting sponsor of the CWSA, has proudly supported the CWSA since 1985. Each year, Honda donates $5,000 to the institution of every Honda Sport Award winner, the Division II and Division III Athletes of the Year, and the Honda Inspiration Award recipient. In addition, Honda provides a $1,000 to each Division I sport finalist, to be used by their institution in support of scholarships or the enhancement of women’s sports programs.

Governance

The Collegiate Women Sports Awards program is governed by a Board of Directors and Executive Committee. The Board of Directors includes individuals from NCAA institutions, members of the media, organizational representatives and a former Cup recipient.