Madison Temple, a senior guard from Thomas More University, was named the DIII Honda Athlete of the Year finalist for women’s basketball as announced by Executive Director Chris Voelz of THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) presented by Honda.

Temple is now designated one of 11 finalists for the prestigious DIII Honda Athlete of the Year. 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 43rd year.

“I feel very honored to be the finalist and I am incredibly grateful for my teammates and coaches for everything they have done for me this season and for making this possible,“ said Temple. “I'd also like to give a special thank you to my family for their love and support and for being my number one fans."

Temple has made a clean sweep of the top Division III national awards as she was named the Jostens Trophy winner and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division III Player of the Year and WBCA All-American along with being named Google Cloud Academic All-America by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

She led her team in scoring (23.5 point per game), rebounds (7.7 per game), assists (187) and steals (92) while helping the Saints to the 2019 NCAA DIII Championship title and an undefeated 33-0 record.  She was also third on the team in blocked shots with 23.  Temple made 186 free-throws, which is a single-season record at Thomas More, while her 187 assists and 776 points are second in Thomas More single-season records. Her 254 rebounds are third most in a single-season.

Hailing from Cincinnati, Ohio, the senior guard finished her career as the school’s all-time leader in scoring (2,184), assists (585), made field goals (812) and made free-throws (818), while finishing third in rebounding (818).

“This is a tremendous honor for Madison and our women's basketball program,” stated head coach Jeff Hans. “Madison was very important to our success this season and during her career.  Madison's unselfishness and ability to score really stood out, but the most impressive thing is how she was a complete player in leading us in rebounds and assists. Madison is very deserving of this accomplishment and I would like to thank Honda for all they do to promote women's athletics.”

All Honda Sports nominees from DIII and DII become a finalist for the prestigious 2018 Honda Athlete of the Year in their respective divisions, presented in a live telecast on CBS Sports on June 24, 2019, in downtown Los Angeles. The Honda 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 Collegiate Women Sports Awards has honored the nation’s top NCAA women athletes for 43 years, 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 $3.1 million in institutional grants to the universities of the award winners and nominees to support women’s athletics programs at the institutions.

About Honda

Honda seeks to be a company that society wants to exist, creating products and technologies that improve the lives of people while minimizing the environmental impacts of its products and business operations to ensure a sustainable future.

Honda also is committed to making positive contributions to the communities where it does business, conducting socially responsible business practices and promoting diversity in its workforce. From Honda’s involvement in STEM education and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) to its support of pediatric brain tumor research and volunteer efforts by Honda associates, including environmental clean-up activities, Honda believes in giving back to the communities where its associates live and work.

Learn more at http://csr.honda.com/