Abbey Weitzeil, a senior from California, was named the Honda Sport Award winner for Swimming & Diving as announced today by Chris Voelz, Executive Director of THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA).
The CWSA has been balancing the recognition of deserving honorees with these unusual times as collegiate athletics have come to a halt. Given the nationwide pandemic, the CWSA will be announcing the winter honorees, the 2020 Inspiration Award finalists and winner and recently announced the cancellation of the 2020 Collegiate Women Sports Awards event that was scheduled to take place in Los Angeles in June.
Weitzeil was chosen by a vote of administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. Finalists included Erika Brown (Tennessee), Maggie MacNeil (Michigan) and Beata Nelson (Wisconsin).
"I am so incredibly honored to be the recipient of the Honda Sport Award for swimming this year,” Weitzeil said. “It is so special to have my name next to the other Cal swimmers that have won in the past, Mary T. Meagher, Natalie Coughlin, Dana Vollmer, Caitlin Leverenz, and Missy Franklin. They are a major part of Cal's history and legacy, and to be able to add my name to that list and represent Cal this year is amazing. This would not have been possible without my coaches, teammates, staff and support system that all helped me through this last year, and so I send a huge thank you to all of them, as well. Go Bears!"
Weitzeil is a two-time Honda Sport Award finalist and has earned 25 CSCAA All-America honors. The senior from Saugus, Calif., set the American and U.S. Open record in the 50 free (20.90) in December to become the first woman in history to break the 21-second barrier.
She captured a silver medal at the 2019 World Championships as part of the U.S. 400m free relay that set an American record. In addition, Weitzeil earned a silver medal in the 400m free relay and a gold medal in the 400m medley relay at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
“The Honda Award is the premier honor available for female collegiate student-athletes, and I’m thrilled for Abbey that she is this year’s recipient for swimming,” said head coach Teri McKeever. “She had an outstanding season and seemed to set a record almost every time she raced, highlighted by her American record in the 50 free this past December. As one of our co-captains, Abbey was also a terrific leader in and out of the pool, and I expect we’ll see even more from her in the years ahead.”
Honda Sport Award winners will be presented with the honor during on-campus presentations.
The CWSA, in its 44th year, honors the nation’s top NCAA women athletes 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 $3.4 million in institutional grants to the universities of the award winners and nominees to support women’s athletics programs at the institutions.
About Honda Corporate Social Responsibility
Honda also is committed to making positive contributions to the communities where it does business, conducting socially responsible business practices and promoting diversity in its workforce. From Honda's involvement in STEM education and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) to its support of pediatric brain tumor research and volunteer efforts by Honda associates, including environmental clean-up activities, Honda believes in giving back to the communities where its associates live and work. Learn more at http://csr.honda.com/.