Dec. 3, 2014
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State senior Laura Gebhart (Mount Joy, Pa.) has been named one of four nominees for the 2014 Honda Sports Award for field hockey, THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) program announced Wednesday.
The award is presented annually to the top 12 women athletes in 12 different NCAA-sanctioned sports and signifies the "best of the best in college athletics." It acknowledges athletic achievement as well as scholastics and community involvement. The field hockey winner will be announced next week after voting by administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools.
Gebhart, a four-time NFHCA All-American and a 2014 first team selection, finished tied for second on the team with 10 goals, tied for first with seven assists and second with 27 points this season. A team captain, Gebhart totaled at least one point in 10 games this season. Most recently, the first team All-Big Ten selection scored the team's lone goal in the win against Michigan State at the Big Ten Tournament on Nov. 6. She had a career-high six points on a personal-best three goals against Bucknell on Oct. 14 and led the Nittany Lions with three defensive saves in 2014. She concluded her career eighth on Penn State's all-time assists list.
The top three individual Honda Sports Award winners from the 12 sports throughout the year will be the finalists for the Honda Cup, presented to the collegiate woman athlete of the year in June.
The CWSA has honored the nation's top NCAA women athletes for 38 years, recognizing superior athletic skills, leadership, academic excellence and eagerness to participate in community service. Since commencing its sponsorship in 1986, Honda has provided more than $2.8 million in institutional grants to the universities of the award winners and nominees to support women's athletics programs at the institutions.