Jessica Pandolf, a redshirt senior midfielder from Lock Haven University, was named the lacrosse nominee for the Class of 2015 Division II Honda Athlete of the Year as announced by Executive Director Chris Voelz of THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) presented by Honda.
She is now designated one of 11 finalists for the prestigious DII Honda Athlete of the Year honor. This will be voted on at the end of the academic year by national balloting among 1,000 NCAA member schools as part of THE CWSA program, now in its 39th year.
“I would like to thank the Collegiate Women Sports Awards and Honda for this amazing opportunity,” said Pandolf. “To represent the sport of lacrosse among the best of the best in all of Division II is an honor and a privilege.”
A native of Holbrook, N.Y., Pandolf is a three-time Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) first-team All-American and was twice named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Player of the Year. She was a four-time All-PSAC selection through her career.
Pandolf led her team and the nation in scoring with 82 goals on the year while ranking seventh nationally in goals per game with 3.90. She also added 88 ball controls and 45 ground balls. She finished her career with 262 goals, 307 career points, 343 career draw controls, 191 career ground balls and 97 career caused turnovers – all are top-10 all-time in school history.
“We would like to thank everyone at The Collegiate Women Sports Awards and Honda for the opportunity, and consideration for such a prestigious award,” said LHU head coach Kristen Selvage. “Jessica exemplifies the character of previous recipients with her leadership and accomplishments while a student-athlete at Lock Haven University. Jessica’s contributions to our program guided us to numerous successes and led us to achieve many of our team goals. Our staff is incredibly proud of the young woman she has become and how her teammates look to her on and off of the field.”
All sports nominees from DII and DIII become a finalist for the prestigious 2015 Honda Collegiate Athlete of the Year in their respective divisions, presented in June. The sports nominees are recognized in 11 DII and DIII NCAA-sanctioned sports; cross country, basketball, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, volleyball, and track & field.
THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards has honored the nation’s top NCAA women athletes for 39 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 $3.0 million in institutional grants to the universities of the award winners and nominees to support women’s athletics programs at the institutions.