Eudice Chong, a sophomore from Wesleyan University, was named the tennis nominee for the Division III Honda Athlete of the Year award for the second consecutive year as announced by Executive Director Chris Voelz of THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) presented by Honda.

She is now designated one of 11 finalists for the prestigious DIII 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.

“It is such a huge honor to be recognized for the hard work that is put in, and I am incredibly thankful for the support of my teammates and coaches for making this journey even more worthwhile than it already is!”, said Chong.

Chong, a sophomore from Sai Kung, Hong Kong, captured her second straight NCAA DIII women’s tennis singles title to become a two-time National Champion. She is a two-time New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) first-team honoree and twice earned ITA All-America honors.

Chong completed the 2015-16 campaign with an impressive 30-2 record and has compiled a 52-2 overall singles record in her young career. She led Wesleyan to its first-ever NESCAC Tournament win and just its second team appearance in the NCAA Championship, first since 2001.  

“Eudice is an incredible embodiment of the DIII student-athlete and an extraordinary representative for Wesleyan,” said head coach Mike Fried. “She has been one of the most dominant athletes in the country over the past two years; she is A-student; and she is as caring and giving a person as you'll meet.  I'm extremely proud of her in every regard.”

All sports nominees from DIII and DII become a finalist for the prestigious 2016 Honda Collegiate Athlete of the Year in their respective divisions, and will be 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 DIII and DII NCAA-sanctioned sports; cross country, basketball, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, volleyball, and track & field.

The CWSA, celebrating its 40th 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.