Four Pac-12 student-athletes finalists for Honda Cup

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - Four female student-athletes representing three Pac-12 schools were deemed finalists for the Honda Cup after being named winners of the Honda Sports Award for their respective sport. Juniors Abby Dahlkemper and Robin Anderson, both of UCLA, were the award winners for women’s soccer and women’s tennis, respectively. WASHINGTON junior Krista Vansant was the volleyball Honda Sports Award winner, and STANFORD senior Felicia Lee won the honor for women’s swimming & diving. 

The Honda Sports Award is presented annually by the Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA-sanctioned sports and signifies “the best of the best in collegiate athletics”. The 12 honorees were chosen by a vote of administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools and among four finalists in each sport. The winner of the Honda Cup will be announced on Monday, June 30 at 5 p.m. PT in Los Angeles, Calif. 

Dahlkemper is a three-time NSCAA All-American, All-Pacific Region and All-Pac-12 member, and was named the NSCAA Scholar All-America Player of the Year. She was the first defender in 10 years to be selected as a finalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy after helping UCLA to the NCAA Championship, shutting out five of six opponents in the NCAA Tournament. The UCLA defense led the nation in team goals against average (0.30), allowing just eight goals all season and only one in postseason play. 

Anderson was named the Pac-12 Player of the Year after closing the season ranked second in the nation in singles and fifth nationally as part of her doubles team. She earned All-America honors in both singles and doubles in each of her three seasons with UCLA, along with three first-team All-Pac-12 selections. Anderson helped lead UCLA to the NCAA title this year and was named the NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. 

Vansant was the 2013 AVCA National Player of the Year and Pac-12 Player of the Year after leading the Huskies to their first Final Four since 2006. The first-team AVCA All-American honoree finished the season with 511 kills, fifth-most in single season school history and most in the 25-point scoring era. She currently ranks fifth in career kills at Washington with 1,328 in her tenure at UW. Vansant was also named the Seattle Female Sports Star of the Year. 

Lee earned seven All-America honors at the 2014 NCAA Championship while capturing five NCAA titles, finishing first in the 100 fly along with relay teams in the 200 and 400 free and the 200 and 400 medley. A two-time Pac-12 Swimmer of the Month, she holds four school records, three Avery Aquatic Center records and two Pac-12 title. She finished her career with 19 All-America accolades. Lee is a member of the 2013-14 USA Swimming National Team and has been a national team member since 2009.