Stanford's Teresa Noyola Receives Honda Sports Award for Soccer

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LOS ANGELES--Dec. 23, 2011:  Stanford University's Teresa Noyola, whose playmaking prowess and ball-handling excellence helped lead her team to the 2011 national championship, has won the Honda Sports Award for soccer. Her selection by the Collegiate Women Sports Award Program recognizes Noyola as the country's top female player in her sport.

The senior midfielder scored the game-winning goal -- a powerful header on a pass from teammate Cami Levin -- in Stanford's 1-0 victory over Duke University at the College Cup. Noyola earned first-team All-American honors by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, becoming only the second Stanford player to receive three consecutive first-team honors. Stanford finished the season undefeated, and Noyola's squad amassed a four-year record of 95-4-4.  Noyola had 15 assists for the year and 60 in her college career, the second highest in Stanford history behind Christen Press.

"This is a very prestigious award," said Noyola. "I'm surprised but excited to be able to represent Stanford. We play a ball possession game that ultimately wears down teams. In previous final fours we weren't able to show what we do all season. This time we were able to keep playing our game. We knew we were a good team and it's great to be recognized for our hard work." 

A math and computational science major, Noyola was honored as the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year. "My parents both attended graduate school at Stanford and they taught me what it takes in terms of time management," said Noyola, whose father's consulting company is based in Mexico. She attended Palo Alto High School and played for the Mountain View-Los Altos Mercury youth team. She was the Gatorade National Player of the Year and California Player of the Year in 2008 and two-time Parade National Player of the Year. She competes for the Mexican national team on the squad attempting to qualify for the London Olympic Games.

The Honda Sports Award is presented annually to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA-sanctioned sports. As a Honda prize recipient, Noyola becomes a finalist for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and the prestigious Honda Cup.  Noyola was chosen by a vote of coaches from 1,000 NCAA member schools. Finalists included Lindsay Taylor (Stanford), and Maya Hayes (Penn State).