Florida’s Fotopoulos Wins Honda Award for Soccer
Tuesday, December 22, 1998 | Soccer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – University of Florida senior Danielle Fotopoulos is the 1998 recipient of the Honda Award for soccer, the award program announced Tuesday. Fotopoulos is the first Gator soccer player to receive the award and the 10th UF female student-athlete to be honored with her sports' Honda Award. The most recent Gator recipient was Jill Craybas, who won the 1996 Honda Award for tennis.
During the 1998 soccer season, Fotopoulos set the All-Time NCAA career records for goals (118) and scoring points (284). She led the nation in 1998 with 32 goals and 75 points, marking the third time in her collegiate career that she had been the nation's leader in points and the second time she was tops in goals. Fotopoulos also shared the 1998 NCAA Tournament lead in points with eight points, which included scoring the game-winning goal in the NCAA Championship match vs. North Carolina. She was named the NCAA Tournament Offensive MVP and was named to the NCAA All-Tournament team. Fotopoulos was also the ESPN.com/Soccer Times National Player of the Year and was an All-America first-team selection by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) and ESPN.com/Soccer Times. She also was named the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year and was a member of the All-SEC First Team.
The Honda Awards program, now in its 24th year, recognizes the top woman collegiate athlete in each of 11 sports. The Honda Award winners in the 11 sports are candidates for the Honda-Broderick Cup, which recognizes the outstanding Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year. UF swimmer Tracy Caulkins claimed the Honda-Broderick Cup in 1982 and '84. The winner of the Honda-Broderick Cup will be announced in June during the annual National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) convention. Fotopoulos was chosen from a ballot of four soccer nominees, including Dartmouth's Suzanne Eastman, Portland's Michelle French and North Carolina's Cindy Parlow.
Fotopoulos now reports in January to the U.S. national team training camp in Orlando, Fla. She will join 25 other players in the four-month residency training camp, from which the 18-player USA roster for the 1999 Women's World Cup will be chosen.
During the 1998 soccer season, Fotopoulos set the All-Time NCAA career records for goals (118) and scoring points (284). She led the nation in 1998 with 32 goals and 75 points, marking the third time in her collegiate career that she had been the nation's leader in points and the second time she was tops in goals. Fotopoulos also shared the 1998 NCAA Tournament lead in points with eight points, which included scoring the game-winning goal in the NCAA Championship match vs. North Carolina. She was named the NCAA Tournament Offensive MVP and was named to the NCAA All-Tournament team. Fotopoulos was also the ESPN.com/Soccer Times National Player of the Year and was an All-America first-team selection by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) and ESPN.com/Soccer Times. She also was named the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year and was a member of the All-SEC First Team.
The Honda Awards program, now in its 24th year, recognizes the top woman collegiate athlete in each of 11 sports. The Honda Award winners in the 11 sports are candidates for the Honda-Broderick Cup, which recognizes the outstanding Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year. UF swimmer Tracy Caulkins claimed the Honda-Broderick Cup in 1982 and '84. The winner of the Honda-Broderick Cup will be announced in June during the annual National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) convention. Fotopoulos was chosen from a ballot of four soccer nominees, including Dartmouth's Suzanne Eastman, Portland's Michelle French and North Carolina's Cindy Parlow.
Fotopoulos now reports in January to the U.S. national team training camp in Orlando, Fla. She will join 25 other players in the four-month residency training camp, from which the 18-player USA roster for the 1999 Women's World Cup will be chosen.
Players Mentioned
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