| Tiffany Weimer. |
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; February 6, 2006 - The Big Ten's leader in career goals scored, Penn State's Tiffany Weimer (North Haven, Conn.) has been chosen by the Connecticut Sports Writers' Alliance as this year's recipient of the Hank O'Donnell Female Athlete of the Year Award, given to the state's top female athlete. Weimer was runner-up for this year's M.A.C. Hermann Trophy, which marks the top collegiate player nationally, after leading No. 2 Penn State's offense with 32 goals and five assists. The Lions finished the season with their third College Cup appearance, and posted a 23-0-2 record.
The Hank O'Donnell Award has been presented since 1984. Weimer joins a list that includes: Kristine Lilly, Sara Whalen, Rebecca Lobo, Suzy Whaley, Jennifer Rizzotti, Annia Hatch and Nykesha Sales. Prior to 1984, Joan Joyce and Dorothy Hamill were honored as athletes of the year.
The senior from North Haven, Conn., will received the award at the 65th Annual Gold Key Dinner on April 23. The banquet, which will be held at the Aqua Turf Club in Southington, Conn., will begin at 4:30 p.m. Also to be honored at the banquet as the Bill Lee Male Athletes of the Year are professional tennis player James Blake from Fairfield and Colts defensive end Dwight Feeney, who is a native of Bloomfield.
Weimer led Penn State with 32 goals, establishing the Big Ten Conference single-season record, and finished her career with 91 goals, which also set the conference mark. She owns a share of the NCAA record for consecutive games with at least one goal (17 straight). Weimer helped Penn State to its third College Cup appearance ever, the team's eighth consecutive Big Ten regular season championship and its first No. 1 ranking in program history. Weimer was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season and was a unanimous choice for first team honors. Her selection as an NSCAA first team All-American marked her third straight first team honor. This year marked the second straight season that she was the runner-up for the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy. Penn State is the only school that has had either the winner or the runner-up for the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy each of the past five years.
No. 2 Penn State finished its historic season at 23-0-2 with its highest final ranking ever. The Lions' season ended after a 0-0 draw with Portland ended with the Pilots continuing to the eventual championship on penalty kicks. The Lions' final rank marks the ninth consecutive year Penn State has finished in the NSCAA's Top 10.