Derry's Megan Frazer of the University of Maryland field hockey team has won the 2011-12 Honda Sports Award, designating her as the top student-athlete in the country 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 36th year.
Frazer is now eligible to become a "Top Three" finalist for Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year.
"I am totally surprised and honored to receive the Honda Sports Award," said Frazer. "I like to think I got it because I was consistent and I was a good leader for my teammates. I try to lead by example."
Frazer's dynamic leadership was noted in 2010 when she received the Maryland field hockey program's Keli Smith Award, given the player showing the most passion for the sport while also setting and achieving high goals.
A native of Derry, Northern Ireland, Frazer served as team co-captain and led the Terrapins to their second straight NCAA title, fifth in seven years and eighth overall. It is their seventh title under head coach Missy Meharg.
"What and honor for Megan and for Maryland hockey," Meharg said. "She is one of the hardest working athletes that we have coached. As one of our team captains, she led our team into their best level of play at the most critical time of the season to become NCAA champions. She is a premier high performance student-athlete who has made such a positive impact on the NCAA Division I game."
A hearing and speech sciences major, Frazer will spend the 2012 spring semester training with the Irish Senior National Team for its Olympic qualifier in Belgium in the spring.
Honda Award winners in basketball, golf, gymnastics, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, volleyball, and track & field will be announced in the coming months. The Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year will be determined by separate balloting involving all NCAA-member institutions and will be announced in June.
American Honda Motor Co., Inc. has sponsored the Collegiate Women Sports Awards Program for 26 consecutive years. Honda has donated over $2 million in grants and sponsorships to universities over the course of the program.
