Alex Loera, a senior defender/midfielder from Santa Clara University, was named the Honda Sport Award winner for Soccer as announced today by Chris Voelz, Executive Director of THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA).
The Honda Sport Award has been presented annually by the CWSA for the past 45 years to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA- sanctioned sports and signifies “the best of the best in collegiate athletics”. The winner of the sport award becomes a finalist for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and the prestigious 2021 Honda Cup, which will be presented on a telecast on CBS Sports Network on June 28th at 9 pm ET.
Loera was chosen by a vote of administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. Finalists included Emily Alvarado (TCU), Jaelin Howell (Florida State) and Ally Schlegel (Penn State).
“To win the Honda Award is one of the biggest honors I could ever receive,” said Loera. “I am beyond grateful to be seen amongst the best in the country along with those that were finalists. My heart is full of gratitude to Santa Clara University for giving me a home and a wonderful program to play for. I want to send all the thanks in the world to my coaching staff - Jerry Smith, Curtis McAllister, and Gregg Murphy - for taking a chance on me and developing me into the best player I could be but also continuing to push me to keep getting better. I want to thank my teammates for constantly demanding excellence from me and pushing me to be the person and player I am today. Without Santa Clara I would not be where I am right now. I am beyond excited to have won the program’s second National Championship with such an amazing group of people and to be remembered with those who won in 2001. I want to give a special thank you to Leslie Osborne, who also won the Honda Award and National Championship, for constantly being a role model. I am so thankful to Santa Clara. Go Broncos!”
The defender/midfielder from Thornton, Colo., led her team to the 2020-21 NCAA National Championship and was named the College Cup Defensive Most Outstanding Player. A senior, she is a two-time WCC Defensive Player of the Year and a three-time All-WCC first-team honoree.
She helped the Broncos post six shutouts and led the defense allowing just nine goals in 12 matches while adding an assist. Lora is a United Soccer Coaches All-American second-team member and a three-time United Soccer Coaches All-West Region selection.
“We are very proud of Alex Loera,” said head coach Jerry Smith. “It’s great to see her recognized at the highest level. The Honda Award represents one of most prestigious awards a college athlete can win. Alex joins a very exclusive group of Santa Clara athletes to represent her sport and Santa Clara University on a national level. It is wonderful to see one of the student-athletes most responsible for us winning the National Championship being honored with her sport’s Honda Award.”
The CWSA, celebrating its 45th anniversary year, has honored the nation’s top NCAA women athletes for their superior athletic skills, leadership, academic excellence and eagerness to participate in community service. Since commencing its partnership 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.
About Honda Corporate Social Responsibility
For more than 60 years in the U.S., Honda has been committed to making positive contributions to the communities where its associates live and work. Honda’s mission is to create products and services that improve the lives of people while conducting its business in a sustainable manner and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. Accordingly, Honda believes in helping people reach their life’s potential through its focus on improving children’s health, inspiring underrepresented students, preserving the environment for future generations, creating safety for everyone, and strengthening our communities. Learn more at http://csr.honda.com/.