Maryland junior midfielder Taylor Cummings (Ellicott City, Md.) was once again named the Honda Sports Award winner for 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 2015 Honda Cup, which will be presented on June 29th in a live nationally televised broadcast on CBS Sports Network at 6 pm PT/9 pm ET from Los Angeles, Calif.
Cummings, who received the honor last season, was chosen by a vote of administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. Finalists included teammate Megan Douty, Shannon Gilroy (Florida) and Kayla Treanor (Syracuse).
“It’s truly an honor to win the prestigious Honda Award,“ stated Cummings. “I wouldn’t be here without the support of my coaches and teammates, and I want to thank them for helping me grow this season as we accomplished our team goals. I feel incredibly blessed to be a part of such an incredible lacrosse program at Maryland.”
Cummings helped her Terps to a second-straight national championship title and posted her best season to date leading her team in assists (37), points (100), ground balls (41), draw controls (143) and caused turnovers (36). She is a two-time Tewaaraton Award winner and youngest two-time female recipient of the honor.
Also a member of the U.S. Women’s National Team, Cummings earned Big Ten Midfielder of the Year and All-Big Ten honors and became a three-time IWLCA First Team All-American. She was named the NCAA Championship Most Outstanding Player for the second season in a row after leading the Terps to victories over Syracuse and North Carolina in the Final Four.
“I’m so proud of Taylor and everything she’s accomplished this year,“ said head coach Cathy Reese. “She is an incredible person and player, and this is a wonderful honor for her to earn yet again. Taylor is a great leader for our team both on and off the field and this is a tremendous honor for her and our entire program.”
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.