Carly Nelson Receives the 2019-20 Occie Evans Award

SALT LAKE CITY – University of Utah women's soccer player Carly Nelson has been selected as the 2019-20 Occie Evans Award recipient for her efforts during her senior season. She was an All-Pac-12 selection and led the Pac-12 in shutouts. 
 
Nelson, a goalkeeper, was named All-Pacific Region by the United Soccer Coaches and Third Team All-Pac-12 in 2019. Nelson led the Pac-12 and ranked 13th nationally with ten shutouts. She also had 101 saves to rank 24th nationally and ranked second in the conference with a .808 save percentage.
 
The Lindon, Utah native, became the first Ute in almost two decades to top 100 stops in a single season. She amassed 23 shutouts for her career, ranking third in Utah history, and set the single-season mark for blankings by a Utah goalkeeper. Nelson and the rest of Utah's defense combined to record shutouts in its last four non-conference opponents and its final two Pac-12 games to earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
 
Background
The Occie Evans Award is presented annually to the outstanding senior female athlete in a team sport. The award is based upon qualities of athletic ability, leadership, and scholastic achievement, and was established by Evans and the Utah Athletics Department in 1978. Evans was born in 1907 attended LDS High School, where he was all-state in football, basketball, and baseball and an All-American in basketball. He played freshman football and basketball at the University of Utah but left to play professional baseball. Evans was selected as one of the top 50 Utah athletes of the Century by Sports Illustrated and was elected to the Utah Sports Hall of Fame before he passed away in 1996.