Nominate your female Sports Hero

March is Women’s History Month and there is no better way to honor female
athletes than by nominating them for one of the Women’s Sports Foundation’s 2010 award programs.

Current open nominations include:

Sportswoman of the Year Award. Every year, the Women’s Sports Foundation recognizes an individual and team Sportswoman whose performances over a 12-month time span have been exceptional. Criteria is based on new records and world championships won.Sportswoman of the Year. Nominations due 6/30/2010

Billie Jean King Contribution Award is presented to an individual or group who has made significant contributions to the development and advancement of women’s sports in general and to the Women’s Sports Foundation specifically and/or who has, through personal achievements or influence, inspired girls and women to become more responsible in their own health through sport, fitness or physical activity.

The award is earned by the demonstration of a continuing, lasting commitment and dedication to the growth of sports, fitness and physical activity for women and girls.  Nominations due 4/30/2010.

Wilma Rudolph Courage Award is presented to a female athlete who exhibits extraordinary courage in her athletic performance, demonstrates the ability to overcome adversity, makes significant contributions to sports and serves as an inspiration and role model to those who face challenges, overcomes them and strives for success at all levels. This award was first given in 1996 to Jackie Joyner-Kersee. Nominations due 4/30/2010.

Visit WomensSportsFoundation.org to nominate your favorites today!

Stanford’s Kelley O’Hara wins Hermann Trophy

Senior forward Kelley O’Hara became the first Stanford player in history to the win the MAC Hermann Trophy, college soccer’s highest honor.

O’Hara was one of three finalists – North Carolina midfielder Tobin Heath and UCLA forward Lauren Cheney were the others — invited to Friday’s ceremony, with the award decided by a vote of coaches. O’Hara received the women’s honor and Akron’s Teal Bunbury received the men’s.

“It’s a great way to end the college season,” O’Hara said. “I’m so thankful, and blessed. But the reason I was able to get the award was because of my teammates. I couldn’t have done it without them.”

O’Hara, who hails from Fayetteville, Ga., shattered Stanford season records for goals (26) and points (65) this season while leading the nation in both categories. She also dished out 13 assists in 2009, the third-best mark in school history. The senior captain led Stanford to its first NCAA championship final and its’ best-ever record (25-1).

O’Hara earned Pac-10 Conference Player of the Year and NSCAA first-team All-America honors. She also excelled in the classroom, earning Academic All-America honors.

O’Hara completed her collegiate career with 57 goals and 156 points, No. 2 in Cardinal history in both categories. O’Hara is the first player in Stanford history to claim the MAC Hermann Trophy. Last month, she was one of 24 players named to a December training camp for the full U.S. national team. O’Hara has played internationally from the under-17 to the under-23 age groups.

O’Hara had been nominated three times for the award, but had never been a finalist until this year, joining Julie Foudy (1991 and ‘92) as the only finalists in Stanford history.

Stanford and O’Hara had a fairy-tale season that included a Pac-10 title and a perfect record heading into the College Cup final, which ended with a disappointing 1-0 loss to North Carolina and a (questionable?)  red card for O’Hara in her final collegiate match.

“This is a great honor,” O’Hara said. “But I would give it up to win a national championship. That’s not to downplay the trophy. To be honored like this is incredible. I’m so excited.”

A 2009 NSCAA first-team All-America, O’Hara was the Pacific-10 Conference’s Player of the Year and an ESPN The Magazine first-team Academic All-American.

The Hermann Trophy has been awarded since 1967 to men, and since 1988 to women. Michelle Akers was the first women’s winner, and Mia Hamm won it twice. O’Hara becomes just the third winner from a Bay Area school: Mani Hernandez of San Jose State won the men’s award in 1968 and Santa Clara’s Aly Wagner won the women’s in 2002.

Click here to read the Missouri Athletic Club press release.

UNC soccer player takes top national honors

Whitney Engen, a senior at North Carolina, has won the 2010 Honda Sports Award in soccer, designating her as the nation’s top collegiate female athlete in that sport. 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 34th year.

“To end our season with a championship and then win the Honda Sports Award is beyond my wildest dreams,” Engen said. “I was really shocked when I heard the news.”

Engen’s win marks the 11th time that a University of North Carolina soccer player has been honored with the award.

Honda Award winners are selected in each of the 12 NCAA-sanctioned sports . Three other athletes are honored as the Division II Athlete of the Year, Division III Athlete of the Year and Inspiration Award winner. Each woman is selected not only for her superior athletic skills, but also for her leadership abilities, academic excellence and eagerness to participate in community service.

At the end of the year, one deserving athlete will be chosen as the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and receive the coveted Honda-Broderick Cup. Past winners of this prestigious award include Jackie Joyner and Mia Hamm. In 2009, the honor went to gymnastics star Courtney Kupets of the University of Georgia.

Other winners for this year’s award include Angela Bizzari (University of Illinois) for cross-country and Katie O’Donnell (University of Maryland) for field hockey.

Who is the greatest all-time Gatorade Player of the Year?

For 25 years, Gatorade has recognized America’s elite high school students for their athletic achievement, academic excellence and exemplary character with the Gatorade Player of the Year award. Throughout the year, Gatorade will host 10 polls to determine the greatest all-time Gatorade Player of the Year in boys football, girls volleyball, boys and girls soccer, boys and girls basketball, boys baseball, girls softball, and boys and girls track & field.

You can cast your vote for your favorite athlete of all-time once per sport, per day at http://playeroftheyear.gatorade.com.

Former notable Gatorade Players of the Year include:

•        Kerri Walsh, Olympic gold medal winning beach volleyball player

•        Lisa Leslie, WNBA all-time leading scorer and rebounder

•        Lauren Cheney, Olympic gold medal soccer player

•        Cat Osterman, Softball Olympic gold medalist

In addition, make sure to enter the Gatorade Player of the Year sweepstakes where you could win a trip to the 2010 Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year Awards ceremony and the ESPY Awards.

For more information about The Gatorade Player of the Year program and its 25^th anniversary celebration, please visit http://playeroftheyear.gatorade.com.

Marta named World Player of Year

Brazil’s Marta captured soccer’s World Player of the Year award for the fourth year in a row. The 23-year-old playmaker beat teammate Cristiane, Kelly Smith of England, and Germans Birgit Prinz and Inka Grings.

“I’m really surprised,” Marta said of winning the award again. Tearful but happy she described the accolade as “a landmark in my career and in my life”.

She was honored at the FIFA World Player Gala, during which former and current soccer stars and celebrities made appearances and Italian pop star Laura Pausini performed.

When asked how it felt to hear her name called once again, the 23-year-old replied, “It’s incredible. You can never prepare what you’re going to say and I just came out with the first words that came into my head.”

The prestigious FIFA award is voted for by the coaches and captains of each national side. With this year’s win, Marta becomes the record winner of the honor awarded by football’s world ruling body.

The dynamic striker, widely regarded as the best female to play the game, was a favorite last season in the revamped U.S Women’s Professional Soccer League, where she won the Golden Boot and was elected league MVP with the Los Angeles Sol.

American Mia Hamm won the inaugural women’s award in 2001, winning again in 2002.

Germany’s Birgit Prinz then picked up the award three years in a row from 2003-2005.

The men’s award when to Lionel Messi who added FIFA’s World Player of the Year award to his growing list of accolades, completing a nearly perfect campaign in which his club won an unprecedented trio of Spanish and European titles.

Vote for U.S. Soccer Awards

U.S. Soccer has announced the finalists for the 2009 Best of U.S. Soccer awards and there’s only one week left to vote for the 12 categories  on USSoccer.com.

The eighth annual series gives fans the opportunity to make their selections for the best in soccer in the United States. The 12 categories recap a busy 2009 crammed full of action, which included FIFA World Cup qualifying, the FIFA Confederations Cup, Abby Wambach’s 100th goal, another Development Academy Season and the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Female Athlete of the Year nominees include national team players Shannon Boxx (Sol), Heather O’Reilly, Christine Rampone (Sky Blue), Hope Solo (Athletica) and Abby Wambach (Freedom).

The Young Female Athletes of the Year are nominees Tobin Heath (UNC), Sydney Leroux (UCLA), Christine Nairn, Kelly O’Hara (Stanford) and Katie Schoepfer.

Fans can vote once a day from now until Sunday, Dec. 13, in the Community section of ussoccer.com. For certain categories, voters will be able to watch videos and view photos as they relive some of the best moments of 2009.

Go make your vote count.

Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award names 2009-10 basketball candidates

Every year around this time, honors and accolades are handed out for an assortment of achievments. Of all the cool awards out there for collegiate-athletes one of the most prestigious is the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award.

Yesterday, 30 NCAA women’s basketball student-athletes who excel both on and off the court were tabbed as candidates today for the 2009-10 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – classroom, character, community and competition.

Individuals qualified based on their dedication and achievement in four areas:  Classroom, Character, Community, and Competition.  The Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award is distinctive from many other honors in that on-the-field performance is only one factor in determining candidacy – a major emphasis is placed on off-the-field commitments and personal character.

An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the CLASS award was launched in 2001 to honor the attributes of college seniors who fulfill their entire athletic eligibility (meaning they don’t abandon school for pro careers).

This year’s candidate class includes 25 players on the preseason watch lists for the men’s and women’s John R. Wooden Award and 11 women’s players who are preseason favorites for the State Farm Wade Trophy. Eleven women represent teams ranked in the top 25 women’s preseason poll.

Lowe’s, an official Corporate Partner of the NCAA, will announce the Senior CLASS Award™ winner for men’s basketball at the 2010 NCAA Men’s Final Four® in Indianapolis in April and for women’s basketball at the 2010 NCAA Women’s Final Four® in San Antonio in April.

Women’s Basketball 2009-10 Candidates

Name	Position	School
Jayne Appel	Center	Stanford University
Miranda Ayim	Forward/Center	Pepperdine University
Amy Beggin	Guard	University of New Mexico
Joy Cheek	Forward/Guard	Duke University
Alysha Clark	Forward	Middle Tennessee State University
Allyssa DeHaan	Center	Michigan State University
Claire Faucher	Guard	Portland State University
Kristen Feemster	Forward	Western Carolina University
Jordan Franey	Guard/Forward	University of California, Santa Barbara
Tyra Grant	Guard	Pennsylvania State University
Alexis Gray-Lawson	Guard	University of California
Kelsey Griffin	Forward	University of Nebraska
Lisa Helmers	Guard	Loyola Marymount University
Allison Hightower	Guard	Louisiana State University
Ashley Houts	Guard	University of Georgia
May Kotsopoulos	Guard	University of Vermont
Maggie Krick	Guard	Illinois State University
Kelsey Luna	Guard	Indiana State University
Joy McCorvey	Forward	St. John’s University
Danielle McCray	Guard/Forward	University of Kansas
Jessica Mooney	Guard	Vanderbilt University
Jené Morris	Guard	San Diego State University
Deirdre Naughton	Guard	DePaul University
Lauren Sims	Guard	Long Beach State University
Jenna Smith	Center	University of Illinois
Ashley Sweat	Forward	Kansas State University
Bianca Thomas	Guard	University of Mississippi
Amanda Thompson	Forward	University of Oklahoma
Jenny Van Kirk	Forward	Bradley University
Monica Wright	Guard	University of Virginia

Show me the money: Serena Williams breaks WTA season prize mark

Serena Williams, finishing off her most lucrative year in women’s tennis with a win at the Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha, is again ranked No. 1 in the world.

And with her latest win, Serena has set the record for single-season prize money in women’s tennis by topping $6.5 million in 2009.

Williams broke the WTA mark of slightly under $5.5 million, earned by Justine Henin in 2007.

The American won the season-ending tour championships Sunday, beating older sister Venus in the final, to regain the No. 1 ranking. The younger Williams also won the Australian Open and Wimbledon in 2009.

The Doha tournament, which featured the top eight women in the world, saw top-ranked Dinara Safina retire in her first match with a serious back injury, and No. 4 Caroline Wozniacki forced to quit in her semifinal against Serena Williams.

Earlier this year, $erena became the top earning female athlete ever,  and with these latest wins her  career prize money is now at a record $28.5 million.

Serena remembers earning her first check of $240 at Québec City in 1995 so that’s quite a pay raise!

Wambach nominated for FIFA Award

Fresh off  her 101st career goal and a U.S. 1-0 win against Germany yesterday, it was announced that Women’s National Team and Washington Freedom forward Abby Wambach is the only American nominated for the FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year Award.

Freedom teammate and French National player Sonia Bompastor is also on the list of ten nominees.  There are 23 nominees on the Men’s side, with both lists reduced to five in early December.  The winners will be announced at the FIFA World Player Gala on December 21st.

WOMEN NOMINEES: Nadine Angerer (Germany), Sonia Bompastor (France), Cristiane (Brazil), Inka Grings (Germany), Mana Iwabuchi (Japan), Simone Laudehr (Germany), Marta (Brazil), Birgit Prinz (Germany), Kelly Smith (England) and Abby Wambach (USA).

Go Abby!

Call to Action: Jefferson Award nominees

The Jefferson Awards are a prestigious national recognition system honoring community and public service in America.  They began in 1972 to create a Nobel Prize for public service. Today, their primary purpose is to serve as a “Call to Action for Volunteers” in local communities.

Did you know that athletes give back to their communities more than most groups?  Well, it’s true. Check out some of their random acts of kindness.

This month, voting begins for the prestigious national Jefferson Award for Outstanding Public Service by an Athlete.   A list of highly impressive nominees includes the following women:

Cheri Balwut – Paralympic Gold Medalist

Brandi Chastain – Soccer player

Lauren Fleshman - Long distance runner

Sara Hall – Runner

Mia Hamm – Soccer player

Lindsey Harding – Basketball player

Ana Ivanovic – Tennis player

Jelena Jankovic – Tennis player

Jessica Mendoza – Softball player

Angela Ruggiero – Hockey player

Kerri Walsh – Volleyball player

If you’re not already familiar with these inspiring women, you need to be. Click here to read about the incredible things these athletes are doing and to vote (by November 15th) for your favorite nominee.

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