"Top Three” Finalists Announced for 2010 Honda-Broderick Cup

The Collegiate Women’s Sports Awards today announced the "Top Three” finalists for the prestigious Honda-Broderick Cup, its annual top honor designating the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year. This year’s finalists are, in alphabetical order: Megan Hodge, Penn State University (volleyball), Lisa Koll, Iowa State University (track & field) and Maya Moore, University of Connecticut (basketball). The Honda-Broderick Cup winner will be named at a special awards ceremony on June 21^st at UCLA in Los Angeles, which the "Top Three” finalists are all scheduled to attend. The "Top Three” finalists were chosen from previously announced Honda Sports Award winners in 12 different NCAA-sanctioned sports, by a vote from among more than 1,000 NCAA-member institutions.

Career Highlights of the "Top Three”

Megan Hodge (senior, volleyball) – Outside hitter Hodge is a native of the U.S. Virgin Islands and grew up in Durham, North Carolina. During her career, she led the Nittany Lions to their second undefeated season and third straight NCAA championship title in 2009, winning 102 straight matches. Her average of 4.67 kills per set (560 kills total) led the Big Ten and earned her an eighth place national ranking. She ranked second on her team in digs with 295 (2.46 per set). She is one of only two players ever to reach 2000 career kills at Penn State, with 2,142 total, and she amassed a career win/loss record of 142-5. Her win/lose career percentage of .966 is the best in NCAA Division I women’s volleyball history for classes that have won national titles. Hodge was chosen AVCA Division I National Player of the Year by the American Volleyball Coaches Association and is a four-time AVCA First-Team All-American. She was selected as the Big Ten Player of the Year in 2009 for the second time, the first as a freshman in 2006. She was also honored as CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year. Megan graduated with a business management degree and is currently a member of the 2010 U.S. women’s volleyball team. Her parents, Michael and Carmen, are both former members of the Virgin Islands National Volleyball team.

Lisa Koll (senior, track & field) – Koll capped her college career as the track collegiate record holder in 10,000 meters and sixth-fastest American woman ever with time of 31:18.07. The Fort Dodge, Iowa native is a four-time NCAA champion, recently finishing first in the 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter races at the 2010 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. She is an eleven-time All-American, as well as a nine-time Big 12 Conference champion. She was named the 2010 Outdoor Big 12 Female Performer of the Year after winning the 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter in Columbia, Missouri, becoming the only woman to win four consecutive Big 12 titles in the same event (10,000-meter). Lisa graduated Summa Cum Laude in just three years from Iowa State, with a 3.98 GPA in biology. The three-time academic All-American was also honored as the 2009 CoSIDA All Sports Academic All-American. The seven-time Big 12 first-team All-Academic selection is currently in her second year of Veterinary Medicine school at ISU and plans to start on her professional track career, beginning with the USA Championships.

Maya Moore (junior, basketball) – Moore, a native of Jefferson City, Missouri, grew up in Lawrenceville, Georgia. She helped her team achieve an NCAA record of 78 consecutive wins over two seasons, as well as its sixth undefeated season and second straight NCAA National Championship. Moore ended the season averaging 18.9 points and 8.3 rebounds, and scored in double figures 34 times. She finished the 2009-2010 season with 736 points, the second most points scored in a season by a UConn player only to herself (754 pts in 2008-09). So far in her career Moore has scored 2168 points, with 963 rebounds and 243 three-pointers. She is also the first junior in the program’s history to score over 2000 points. She received both the 2010 NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player and Dayton Regional’s Most Outstanding Player award and is a three-time AP First Team All-American. A Sports Marketing and Media major with a 3.85 GPA, she has been honored this year as the Big East Scholar Athlete of the Year, ESPN Academic All-America of the Year, CoSIDA Academic First-Team, 2010 Wade Trophy winner and Wooden Award finalist.

Other Honors to Be Presented on June 21^st

In addition to the annual Honda-Broderick Cup, the Collegiate Women’s Sports Awards Program also presents its annual "Honda Inspiration Award” to a deserving collegiate female athlete. This year’s recipient is Antoinette Cobb from Zachary, Louisiana, a track star at Louisiana Tech University who was forced to withdraw from classes for two quarters and forego track her entire sophomore year due to stage III colon cancer. Cobb courageously came back to become the seventh best 100-meter hurdler in the country and earned four WAC titles in her junior and senior seasons.

The program also honors "Athletes of the Year” from both NCAA Division II and Division III colleges. Concordia University volleyball setter Maggie McNamara from Zumbrota, Minnesota, won the Division II award. She led her team to an undefeated season this year, as well as to a "three-peat” third straight national title and a fourth NSIC crown. In her senior year of competition, she sealed her name in the NCAA record book as the all-time leading setter, putting up a new record for career assists with 7,351. For the fourth season in her career, McNamara led the nation in assists per set, this year with a mark of 13.26.

The Division III Athlete of the Year Award goes to Bethel University track and field standout Marie Borner from Cottage Grove, Minnesota. She capped her remarkable senior season by earning National Championships in the indoor mile, with a time of 4:50.20, as well as the outdoor 1500-meter (4:23.85) and outdoor 800-meter (2:06.87). She was also the MIAC champion in the 800-meter and 1500-meter, setting a stadium record in both races. She set a meet record in the 800-meter in the 2010 NCAA Division III National Championships. In all, she holds 10 school records.

Last year’s Honda-Broderick Cup winner was gymnastics superstar and previous two-time Honda Sports Award winner (2007, 2009) Courtney Kupets of the University of Georgia. Other past winners of the Honda-Broderick Cup include some of the most talented and accomplished collegiate athletes in recent history: Candace Parker (basketball, 2008), Jackie Joyner-Kersee (track & field, 1984), Mia Hamm (soccer, 1994), Cheryl Miller (basketball, 1983), Ann Meyers (1978, basketball), Tracy Caulkins (1982, 1984, swimming & diving), Chamique Holdsclaw (basketball, 1998) and Lisa Fernandez (softball, 1993). In 2001, Joyner-Kersee was honored as the "Top Collegiate Woman Athlete for the Past 25 Years.”

The "Top Three” finalists were voted over nine other nominees: University of Illinois’ Angela Bizzarri for cross country, Katie O’Donnell from the University of Maryland for field hockey, Whitney Engen from the University of North Carolina for soccer, Julia Smit from Stanford University for swimming & diving, Susan Jackson from Louisiana State University for Gymnastics, Caroline Hedwall of Oklahoma State University for golf, Caitlyn McFadden of the University of Maryland for lacrosse, Laura Vallverdu of the University of Miami for tennis and Danielle Lawrie of the University of Washington for softball.

American Honda Motor Co., Inc. has sponsored the Collegiate Women Sports Awards Program for 24 consecutive years. Honda has donated over $2 million in institutional grants to the winners’ and nominees’ universities over the course of the program. See www.hondaawards.com for more information.

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