Northwestern University Athletics
Nielsen Repeats As Lacrosse Honda Sports Award Winner
6/3/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
June 3, 2009
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Senior Hannah Nielsen (Adelaide, Australia/Brighton Secondary) has been chosen for the second year in a row as the nation's top collegiate female athlete in lacrosse. The honor was based on the results of national balloting among 1,000 NCAA member schools as part of the Collegiate Women Sports Awards program, now in its 33rd year.
Nielsen's victory will earn her the 2009 Honda Sports Award, given annually to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA-sanctioned sports, along with automatic nomination for Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year. She was voted over three other nominees, Jillian Byers, a senior at Notre Dame, Amber Falcone, a senior at the University of North Carolina, and Caitlyn McFadden, a University of Maryland junior. The candidates were selected by the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA).
This is the fifth year in a row that the Honda Sports Award for lacrosse has gone to a Northwestern player. Prior to Nielsen's win last year, Kristen Kjellman won in 2005, 2006 and 2007, making her the first player ever to win the award in three consecutive seasons.
"It is an incredible honor to be recognized to receive the Honda Award for this past season," said Nielsen. "I definitely have to thank my parents for their constant support, my coaches for helping me to be the best lacrosse player I could be over these past four years, and most of all my team mates for being there every step of the way, I could not do any of what I have done without them. This has been a very special year, and the Honda Sports Award makes it even more so."
A native of Adelaide, Australia, Nielsen led her team as captain this year to its fifth straight NCAA title (and her fourth). She also led the nation with 142 points and 83 assists, breaking the previous NCAA record for assists in a season (69) that she set herself back in 2007. She holds three all-time-best NCAA assist records: 10 for single game, 83 for season and 224 for career. Her 398 career points is the third-best in NCAA Division I history. She is a repeat American Lacrosse Conference Player of the Year and a three-time first-team All-American. This year she won the Tewaaraton Trophy for the second consecutive time. Nielsen started in all 88 games of her college career and ended with an 85-3 record.
Like many Honda Sports Award winners, Nielsen is a motivated student as well. She graduated with a GPA of 3.15 in human development and psychological services. She plans to represent Australia in the FIL Women's Lacrosse World Cup in Prague June 17-27.
Previously announced Honda Sports Award recipients are the University of Connecticut's Renee Montgomery for basketball, the University of Georgia's Courtney Kupets for gymnastics, Texas Tech's Sally Kipyego for cross-country, Susie Rowe from the University of Maryland for field hockey, Casey Nogueira from the University of North Carolina for soccer, Nicole Fawcett from Penn State University for volleyball and Dana Vollmer from UC Berkeley for swimming & diving. Honda Sports Award winners in golf, softball, tennis and track & field will be announced in the next two weeks. The Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year will be determined by separate balloting involving all NCAA-member institutions and the winner will receive the Honda-Broderick Cup at a ceremony in New York on June 22, 2009.
American Honda Motor Co., Inc. sponsors the Collegiate Women Sports Awards Program. See awards.honda.com for more information.
