For the second straight year, midfielder Marti Corby of Grand Valley State University was named the soccer nominee the Class of 2016 Division II Honda Athlete of the Year as announced by Chris Voelz, Executive Director of THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) today.

She is now designated one of 11 finalists for the prestigious DII Honda Athlete of the Year honor. This will be voted on at the end of the academic year by national balloting among 1,000 NCAA member schools as part of THE CWSA program, now in its 40th year.

Corby was named the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Player of the Year for the last two consecutive seasons and was the DII Honda Athlete of the Year nominee last season as well. The Ada, Mich., native is also a two-time NSCAA first-team All-American and had recently been named the Midwest Region Player of the Year, as well as the D2CCA Player of the Year and the HERO Sports Player of the Year. She was also named to the NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team as the Most Outstanding Offensive Player of the Tournament.

The junior midfielder finished first in the nation in assists (17) and game-winning goals (9) after scoring the gam- winner in the national championship title game. She finished third in the nation in goals with 25, and her 67 points was the second best mark in all of Division II.

All sports nominees from DII and DIII become a finalist for the prestigious 2016 Honda Collegiate Athlete of the Year in their respective divisions, presented on a live telecast on June 27, 2016, in the Founders’ Room at the Galen Center on the campus of the University of Southern California in downtown Los, Angeles.

The sports nominees are recognized in 11 DII and DIII NCAA-sanctioned sports; cross country, basketball, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, volleyball, and track & field.

The CWSA, celebrating its 40^th year, has honored the nation’s top NCAA women athletes recognizing superior athletic skills, leadership, academic excellence and eagerness to participate in community service.  Since commencing its sponsorship thirty years ago in 1986, Honda has provided more than $3.0 million in institutional grants to the universities of the award winners and nominees to support women’s athletics programs at the institutions.