Sophomore Taylor Cummings (Ellicott City, Md.) of the University of Maryland was named the Honda Sports Award winner for Women's Lacrosse as announced by Chris Voelz, Executive Director of THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) today.
The Honda Sports Award is presented annually by the CWSA to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA- sanctioned sports and signifies “the best of the best in collegiate athletics”. With this honor, Cummings becomes a finalist for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and the prestigious 2014 Honda Cup. Cummings was chosen by a vote of administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. Finalists included Shannon Gilroy (Florida), Alyssa Murray (Syracuse) and Kayla Treanor (Syracuse).
The Honda Cup winner will be announced during the live telecast of THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards show presented by Honda at 8 pm EST, on Monday, June 30, at the USC Founders Club at Galen Center in Los Angeles, Calif.
“I am so honored and humbled to win the prestigious Honda Sport Award, “Cummings said. “I want to thank my coaches and teammates for an amazing season and for helping me continue to grow both as a student-athlete and as a person. The future is bright for Maryland women’s lacrosse and I feel incredibly blessed to be a part of it.”
Cummings is the 2014 Tewaaraton Award winner and a two-time IWLCA first-team All-American. She is the first female sophomore to ever win the Tewaaraton. A product of Ellicott City, Md., she helped Maryland earn a national championship and led the Terrapins in goals scored (63), draw controls (128), ground balls (37) and caused turnovers (30).
A U.S. Women’s National Team member, she earned All-ACC honors for a second time and was named to the ACC All-Tournament Team after Maryland captured its sixth consecutive conference title. Additionally, she was named the NCAA Championship Most Valuable Player after her performance in the final four.
“I’m incredibly proud of Taylor and the magnificent season she put together for us in our championship run,” Maryland head coach Cathy Reese said. “Taylor shows a strong commitment to success both on the field and in the classroom and, even as a sophomore, is a leader for our team. This is a tremendous honor not just for Taylor but for our entire program.”
The CWSA presents the Honda Sports Award annually to top women student-athletes in 12 NCAA-sanctioned sports. Honda Sports award winners will be presented with the honor during on-campus presentations throughout the year and all Honda Sports award winners become a finalist for the prestigious 2014 Honda Cup award presented in June.
THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards has honored the nation’s top NCAA women athletes for 37 years, recognizing superior athletic skills, leadership, academic excellence and eagerness to participate in community service. Since commencing its sponsorship in 1986, Honda has provided more than $2.8 million in institutional grants to the universities of the award winners and nominees to support women’s athletics programs at the institutions.