After capturing the honor in 2014, Sydney Moss, a junior from Thomas More College, was named the 2015 DIII Honda Athlete of the Year nominee for basketball 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 DIII 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 am very honored to be nominated for such a great and amazing award, to be considered one of the best across the country is an amazing feeling and I am so blessed to be put in that category, “ stated Moss. “I love representing the Thomas More women’s basketball program and wouldn't want it any other way."
A native of St. Albans, W.Va., Moss was named the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division III Player of the Year along with being named the D3hoops.com National Player of the Year. Both outlets recognized Moss with first-team All-America honors. Moss led her team to its school’s first-ever team championship with a perfect record of 33-0 on the year.
The junior led the nation in scoring for the second straight season with 24.4 points per game while shooting 52.8 percent from the floor and 40.6 percent from behind the three-point line. Moss currently ranks second in career scoring at Thomas More College in two seasons needing just 59 points to become the school’s all-time leading scorer.
"This is a tremendous accomplishment for Sydney and our program,” said head coach Jeff Hans. “Sydney has made a tremendous impact in our program and the campus community. She is very deserving of this great award.“
All sports nominees from DIII and DII become a finalist for the prestigious 2015 Honda Athlete of the Year in their respective divisions, presented in June. The sports nominees are recognized in 11 DIII and DII 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.