Senior forward Breanna Stewart (North Syracuse, N.Y.) from the University of Connecticut was named the Honda Sport Award winner for women’s basketball today as announced by Chris Voelz, Executive Director of THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) today. This is the third consecutive win for Stewart, who has won Top Three honors in the last two years as well.

The Honda Sport Award has been presented annually by the CWSA for the past 40 years to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA- sanctioned sports and signifies “the best of the best in collegiate athletics”.  With this honor, Stewart becomes a finalist for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and the prestigious 2016 Honda Cup which 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.

“I am extremely happy for Breanna”, said UConn head coach Geno Auriemma. “She worked very hard on the court and in the classroom this year and became an even better leader and teammate.  She is very deserving of this prestigious honor.”

Stewart was chosen by a vote of administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. Finalists included teammate Moriah Jefferson (UConn), Brianna Turner (Notre Dame) and A’ja Wilson (South Carolina).

Stewart led her team to an unprecedented fourth straight national championship and is the first player in history to earn four Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors. She swept the 2016 national player of the year honors and is a two-time winner of the Wooden Award. She is also a three-time winner of the Naismith Trophy (Atlanta Tip-Off Club), Associated Press Player of the Year Award and the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award (USBWA). The North Syracuse, N.Y. native has also won the Wade Trophy (WBCA) in each of the last two seasons.

Stewart, who also won the Senior CLASS Award in 2016, finished her career as UConn's all-time leader with 414 career blocked shots and is second on the Huskies' all-time scoring list with 2,676 points.  

Stewart was the 2014 and 2015 Honda Award winner for the sport of basketball. Basketball has produced the most Honda Cup winners with 15 student-athletes in the sport winning the prestigious honor. Most recently Brittney Griner of Baylor earned the honor in 2012 preceded by Connecticut's Maya Moore who had back-to-back wins in 2010 and 2011.

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 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.