SAN DIEGO, California - Old Dominion University senior field hockey player Marina DiGiacomo has been selected as the 2000-01 Honda Sports Award winner for field hockey, as announced today by the Honda Awards Program.
As field hockey's honoree, DiGiacomo is automatically nominated for the Honda-Broderick Cup, to be presented to the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year at the Honda Awards Program banquet on June 1, 2001 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
DiGiacomo, a captain of the 2000 NCAA National Championship field hockey squad, becomes the fifth Lady Monarch to be honored with this award, symbolic of the National Player of the Year in each of the NCAA's 11 sponsored women's sports. The 11 sport-specific winners are candidates for the Honda-Broderick Cup, given annually to recognize the most outstanding female college athlete of the year.
"I am very proud to be able to bring this award to Old Dominion University," said DiGiacomo. "My name may be the one on the trophy, but this award is symbolic of the success of the Old Dominion program."
DiGiacomo joins former Lady Monarch greats Mimi Smith (1998-99), Kelli James (1992-93), Christy Morgan (1984-85), and Yogi Hightower (1982-83) as Honda Award winners in the sports of field hockey. Since the inception of the award in 1976-77, no field hockey player has won the Honda-Broderick Cup. Old Dominion women's basketball standout Nancy Lieberman won the prestigious Honda-Broderick Cup in 1978-79, also winning the Honda Sports Award in basketball the following year.
During her Old Dominion career, DiGiacomo was a two-time AstroTurf/NFHCA All-American and a four-time Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year. She is the NCAA's all-time scoring leader with 414 points on 167 goals and 80 assists. A four-time CAA Tournament MVP and four-time All-CAA selection, DiGiacomo is the only player in the history of field hockey to be ranked in the top three of each statistical category (goals, assists, points).