Making a Splash: Meet the 2024-25 Honda Sports Award Winners
- Alyssa Klauminzer
- Jul 11
- 11 min read
They’re strong, they’re fast, they’re resilient. They’re the best women athletes in the NCAA.
The Honda Sports Award is annually given to the best women collegiate athletes in twelve sports. All of the winners are automatically nominated for the Honda Cup which recognizes the Collegiate Women Athlete of the Year. Also recognized are the Division II and Division III athletes of the year, as well as the Inspiration Award winner which recognizes a student-athlete who had to overcome adversity to return to their sport.
Here are the best college athletes of the 2024-25 season.
Basketball
Paige Bueckers, one of the best in the game, had an incredible senior season for UConn. The Huskies went undefeated in the Big East, won the Big East Tournament Championship, and won their 12th NCAA title. Bueckers also cemented herself in the UConn record books: she became the fastest player in program history to reach 2,000 career points in just 102 games, became the first player in program history to put up 40 points in the NCAA tournament, tied her program record with three consecutive 30 point games, has the most career points for a UConn player in the NCAA tournament (and ranks third among all players behind only Caitlin Clark and Chamique Holdsclaw). She finished her career at UConn with the highest scoring average (19.9) and with the third-most points (2,439) in program history.
The Honda Sports Award wasn’t the only award Bueckers received this season. She was named the Big East Player of the Year for the third time, became the first player to be named the Most Outstanding Player in the Big East tournament three times, was unanimously named first-team All-Big East, was named Most Outstanding Player of the Spokane 4 Regional after leading UConn to an upset over top-seeded USC in the Elite Eight, was named a unanimous first-team All-American for the third time, was awarded the Wade Trophy as the top NCAA Division I player, and won the Nancy Lieberman Award for the second time as the top Division I point guard. Bueckers, of course, went on to be drafted first overall in the 2025 WNBA draft by the Dallas Wings.
Cross Country
Doris Lemngole and the Crimson Tide had a very successful season in cross country. In the SEC championships, she set a new course record with a time of 18:20.3, which led Alabama to their fourth SEC title. She was the runner-up in the 6k at the NCAA South Regional with a time of 19:30.6, helping Alabama to their fifth women’s South Regional Title. Lemngole went on to win the national title at the NCAA Cross Country Championships with a time of 19:21.0. Her cross country national title came only months after she won her first national title, as she won the steeplechase (the first Crimson Tide athlete to do so) at the NCAA Track and Field Championships and set a new school, meet, and collegiate record.
In her second season with Alabama, Lemngole was named the 2024 FloTrack NCAA Division I Cross Country Regular Season MVP, the 2024 SEC Women’s Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year, the 2024 SEC Women’s Runner of the Year for Cross Country, the 2024 U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) South Region Women’s Athlete of the Year, and is the USTFCCCA Lance Harter Collegiate National Athlete of the Year.
Field Hockey
Maddie Zimmer absolutely shined in the postseason. She had an assist on the game-winning goal to advance to the Final Four in a 3-2 overtime victory over Virginia, had an assist on the game-winning goal to advance to the National Championships in a 1-0 victory over UMass, and led Northwestern to their second NCAA Championship title with two goals and an assist in the championship game. Zimmer was named the 2024 National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Player of the Year, was named the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player for the second time, was named to the first-team All-Big Ten for the fourth time, and was named to the NFHCA first-team All-American for the third time. In addition to being an NCAA champion, Zimmer is a member of the senior national squad and represented Team USA in the 2024 Olympics.
Golf
In her sophomore season, Maria José Marin already put herself in the record books for Arkansas. Marin is the 2025 NCAA Individual Champion and is the SEC Player of the Year in golf. Razorbacks legends Stacy Lewis and Maria Fassi are the only other golfers for Arkansas to win both titles. Marin was named to the SEC First Team for the second time, is a two-time Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) first-team All-American, and was a finalist for the ANNIKA Award, which annually honors the best collegiate women golfers. Marin’s NCAA Individual Championship win won her a spot at the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open where she represented Colombia. Per the Razorbacks, as of June 10, 2025, Marin is ranked No. 5 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings and No. 3 in the Scoreboard by Clippd National Collegiate Golf Rankings.
Gymnastics
Jordan Bowers had an amazing career with Oklahoma, and had an outstanding senior season, especially in the postseason. At the SEC Championships, Bowers led the Sooners to a second place finish behind reigning national champions LSU, in the Washington Regional Final she scored three perfect 10s (on vault, bars, and floor) for the second time in her career and was the first gymnast in NCAA history to achieve this feat more than once, and she went lights out at the NCAA Gymnastics Championships where the Sooners won their seventh national title. This was Bowers’ third time winning the team championship title with Oklahoma, and she also won the individual all-around title. Bowers was named the 2025 SEC Gymnast of the Year, an NCAA first-team All-American on every event and in the all-around, and is a four-time Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA) All-American with first-team nods on beam, floor, and in the all-around.
Bowers competed in the all-around in every meet last season, and had a 100% hit rate. She finished her career with a second all-time ranking in program history with a career 12 perfect 10s, behind only Sooners legend Maggie Nichols. Her five perfect 10s on the floor exercise are the most in the event in program history.
Lacrosse
Playing alongside her older sisters, Nicole and Ashley, Chloe Humphrey led North Carolina to a perfect record, the ACC regular season and tournament titles, and their fourth NCAA championship title. In the semifinals she scored seven goals in the 20-4 win over Florida, and in the national title game she had four goals and an assist in the 12-8 win over Northwestern. After an injury sidelined her in 2024, Humphrey came out of the gates running in 2025. She won the Tewaaraton Award as the most outstanding women’s collegiate lacrosse player (the first freshman and first Tar Heel to win the award), was named the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Player and Attacker of the Year, was named the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player, was named first-team All-American, was named IWLCA All-South Region First Team, was named first-team All-ACC, and the ACC Tournament MVP.
Humphrey has already found herself in the Tar Heels record book after just one season. She is first all-time for single season goals with 90, and second all-time for single season points with 118. Her 90 goals set a new NCAA record for goals scored by a freshman.
Soccer
Kate Faasse was electric when she stepped into a starting position for North Carolina last season. She was the nation’s outright scoring leader with 20 goals, led the ACC and was tied for first with eight game-winning goals, and led the conference and tied for second in the nation with 44 points on the season. The Tar Heels noted that Faasse surpassed her point total from her freshman (six) and sophomore (seven) seasons combined in just the first ten games of last season. She had five braces this season, with three of them coming in the postseason. She had four goals in six games in the NCAA tournament, including the golden goal in a 2-1 NCAA quarterfinals victory over Penn State and had the game-winner vs. No. 1 Duke in the NCAA semifinals. Faasse led the Tar Heels to their 23rd NCAA title and first since 2012.
In her explosive junior season, Faasse was named to the All-ACC First Team, the ACC All-Tournament Team, the United Soccer Coaches All-Atlantic Region First Team, the United Soccer Coaches All-America First Team, the TopDrawerSoccer Best XI First Team, was named the TopDrawerSoccer Player of the Year, and won the MAC Hermann Trophy which is awarded annually to the top collegiate soccer players. Faasse is a nominee for Best College Athlete in Women’s Sports at the ESPYS, which take place next week.
Softball
NiJaree Canady transferred to Texas Tech ahead of last season and signed the highest NIL deal for a collegiate softball player at $1 million. In her junior season and first with Texas Tech, she had a 34-7 record, posted an ERA of 1.11, and recorded 319 strikeouts. Canady’s regular season highlights include throwing a no-hitter and striking out 12 batters in five innings against Kansas, and a complete game and striking out 14 batters also in a game against Kansas. Canady led Texas Tech to their first Big 12 Tournament championship title in program history. She was named to the Big 12 all-tournament team and named the Most Outstanding Player after allowing only four hits, three walks, no runs, and recording 26 strikeouts in 16 ⅔ innings in the Big 12 Tournament. Texas Tech also went to the Women’s College World Series for the first time in program history and finished as the nation’s runners-up.
Canady is one of, if not the, best pitcher in NCAA softball. Last season, she tied for the most wins in Texas Tech history, had the second best ERA in program history, and had the second most strikeouts in program history. She also had a great offensive season, leading the team with 11 home runs and a slugging percentage of .639. She was the No.1 player in the country according to D1Softball and Softball America through the entire season, was named the Big 12 Pitcher of the year, and was named the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Pitcher of the Year for the second consecutive year.
Swimming & Diving
Meet this year’s Honda Sports Award winner for swimming and diving and the Honda Cup Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year: four-time Olympic medalist, two-time Olympic champion, and 25-time NCAA champion Gretchen Walsh. She made a splash the moment she got in the pool for Virginia, and has only gotten faster. In just her senior season, she earned seven All-ACC nods, seven ACC titles, seven All-American nods, and seven NCAA titles (50 free, 100 free, 100 fly, 200 free relay, 400 free relay, 400 medley relay, and 200 medley relay). She is the ACC Swimmer of the Year for the second time, the ACC Championship Most Valuable Swimmer, a repeated IMP Award Winner as the top woman athlete at Virginia, the 2024 Virginia Sports Hall of Fame Steve Guback Sportsperson of the Year, the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Women’s Swimmer of the Year, and the College Sports Communications (CSC) Academic All-America Team Member of the Year. She is also an ESPY nominee for Best College Athlete in Women’s Sports. Walsh wasn’t just setting new personal bests this season, she was setting new NCAA, American, and world records.
Walsh is the world record holder in many events, but most notably for the long course meters 100 butterfly, in which she recently beat her own record twice in one day, with a time of 54.60 seconds. As of her graduation in May, she holds 17 world records! For a complete list of Walsh’s world records and NCAA accomplishments, check out her athlete’s profile for the Virginia Cavaliers.
Tennis
Dasha Vidmanova made history for Georgia. She became the first player in program history, and only the third woman in NCAA history, to achieve the NCAA Triple Crown, winning an NCAA team, singles, and doubles championship during her collegiate career. In her junior year, Vidmanova became an NCAA doubles champion with teammate Aysegul Mert, and in her senior season, Georgia won the NCAA team championship and she became the singles champion. She is the first Georgia player to win both a singles and doubles NCAA title. She earned 2025 NCAA All-Tournament Team honors and was named the Most Outstanding Player after winning three singles matches and three doubles matches through six rounds of competition. She was also named the SEC Player of the Year, received All-SEC First Team honors, earned 2025 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Team Indoor All-Tournament Team honors and was named the competition’s MVP, and became an All-American for the fourth time.
Vidmanova was also voted by her peers as the Liz Murphey Athlete of the Year as an outstanding woman athlete for Georgia. She was a key player this season for the Bulldogs, the No. 1 ranked team after winning the ITA National Team Indoor Championship, the 2025 SEC Tournament, and the 2025 NCAA Championship.
Track & Field
Aaliyah Butler is one of the best 400m sprinters, and gets faster each time she hits the track. In winning her first NCAA title, she set a new school record with a time of 49.26, the fifth best time in NCAA history. The Georgia 4x400m team also set a new school record in their gold medal winning race, with a time of 3:23.62; Butler anchored for the Bulldogs with a time of 48.79, the third all-time fastest collegiate leg. The 4x400m was a key race in helping Georgia secure its first ever NCAA outdoor team title. Butler is the 2025 SEC indoor 400m and 4x400m champion, the SEC Indoor Women’s Runner of the Year, the SEC Outdoor 400m champion, and has NCAA championship titles and All-American nods in the outdoor 400m and 4x400m races. She was also a member of Team USA’s gold medal winning 4x400m team in the 2024 Olympics.
Volleyball
Pitt volleyball had an amazing season, and Olivia Babcock played a key role in it. In just her sophomore season, Babcock already broke program records. She recorded a program best 12 aces in a single match, broke the all-time single season record with 71 aces (beating the previous record of 67 set in 1989), had 538 kills on the season for a 25-point scoring era individual season record, had 4.72 kills per set clip which is a rally scoring era best, recorded 33 kills in the national semifinal which is the most by a Panther in an NCAA Tournament match in the 25-point scoring era. Babcock is the ACC Player of the Year, American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) East Coast Region Player of the Year, AVCA Player of the Year, an AVCA All-American, and received first team All-ACC and AVCA All-American honors for the second time. Babcock is also an ESPY nominee for Best College Athlete in Women’s Sports.
Division II Honda Athlete of the Year
Alexis Brown, a sprinter for Lenoir-Rhyne, is a 14-time All-American and eight-time national champion, this year winning the indoor 200m, outdoor 100m, and outdoor 200m. She is the 2025 SAC indoor champion in the 100m and 200m, the 2025 SAC outdoor champion in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m, the SAC Indoor and Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year, the USTFCCCA Southeast Region Women’s Indoor and Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year, and the USTFCCCA National Women’s Indoor and Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year. Brown also holds three NCAA Division II records, with a time of 22.88 in the indoor 200m, 10.93 in the outdoor 100m, and 22.35 in the outdoor 200m.
Division III Honda Athlete of the Year
Olivia Foley had an incredible career for Juniata College, one that the college notes as one of the most accomplished careers in NCAA Division III volleyball history. Foley led Juniata to back-to-back perfect 35-0 seasons, a win streak now extending 97 straight matches, and three consecutive NCAA Division III National Championship titles. In her final season, she recorded 1,125 assists, averaged an NCAA best 11.84 assists per set, and in her final match she had a career-best 56 assists to help Juniata clinch the national title. Foley is a four-time AVCA All-American, two-time AVCA Division III Player of the Year, a two-time NCAA All-Championship team honoree, the 2024 Landmark Player of the Year, and was named the Championship MVP twice in her career.
Honda Inspiration Award
During her career as a nordic skier, Sidney Barbier had to overcome obstacles she faced as a result of nutcracker syndrome, a rare vascular condition that compresses the renal vein. Her senior season with Denver was her first time competing nearly pain free. She finished 37 of 38 career games and had eight top 20 finishes, is a four-time Denver Athletics Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award winner, has four National Collegiate All-Academic Ski Team honors, and is Denver Skiing’s Nordic Pioneer Award winner.
Barbier said for Denver, “I hope nobody has to go through this, but if they are, I want people to know that there is hope out there. The award's name is the Inspiration Award, so to be able to be that inspiration, even for just one person, is a huge honor and is something I don't take lightly.”
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