MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -  Kadeisha Buchanan from West Virginia University, Savannah McCaskill of the University of South Carolina, Brigham Young University’s Ashley Hatch and Cassie Miller from Florida State University are the four nominees for the Honda Sport Award for Women’s Soccer as announced by Chris Voelz, Executive Director of THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) today.

 

The Honda Sport Award has been presented annually by the CWSA for the past 41 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 2017 Honda Cup which will be presented on a live telecast on CBS Sports Network on Monday, June 26, 2017, in downtown Los, Angeles.

 

The nominees were chosen by a panel of coaches representing the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). The Honda Sport award winner for soccer will be announced next week after voting by administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. Each NCAA member institution has a vote.

 

Buchanan, a senior defender from Brampton, Ontario, is a three-time first-team NSCAA All-American and the first player in school history to earn All-America status in each season at West Virginia. She is the 2016 Big 12 Conference Defensive Player of the Year, after earning the award in four consecutive seasons, and is a 2016 MAC Hermann semifinalist. She led her team to a program-record 18 shutouts this fall while allowing just 12 goals in 27 matches. This is her second straight season being nominated for the Honda Sport Award for soccer.

 

Senior forward Ashley Hatch led BYU to its fifth straight WCC Conference Championship and was named a 2016 NSCAA first-team All-American. A MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist, she tied for third in the NCAA with 19 goals scored and posted two hat-tricks on the year. She was the first player in the nation to reach 10 goals on the season and is a two-time All-WCC first-team honoree.

 

McCaskill, hailing from Chapin, S.C., is a junior forward and a 2016 NSCAA first-team All-American. She was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Year and is a two-time SEC first-team member. She set program single-season records for points (45), goals (17) and game-winning goals (10). Also a 2016 MAC Hermann Trophy finalist, she led her team to a school record 21 wins with a record five wins over ranked opponents.

 

Miller, a redshirt-junior goalkeeper from Cave Creek, Ariz., is a 2016 NSCAA first-team All-American after finishing the season fourth nationally in goals against average (0.398) and fifth in solo shutouts (13). She led the ACC in both categories and anchored her team to its fourth straight ACC Championship title. She is a three-time All-ACC second-team honoree.

 

Honda Sport award winners will be presented with the honor during on-campus presentations throughout the year and all Honda Sport award winners become a finalist for the prestigious 2017 Honda Cup award presented in June.

 

THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards has honored the nation’s top NCAA women athletes for 41 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 $3.5 million in institutional grants to the universities of the award winners and nominees to support women’s athletics programs at the institutions.