Kate Douglass and teammate Gretchen Walsh from the University of Virginia, Louisiana State University’s Maggie MacNeil and Aranza Vazquez from the University of North Carolina are the four finalists for the Class of 2023 Honda Sport Award for Swimming & Diving as announced by Chris Voelz, Executive Director of THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) today. 

The Honda Sport Award has been presented annually by the CWSA for the past 47 years to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA- sanctioned sports and signifies “the best of the best in collegiate athletics”.  The winner of the sport award becomes a finalist for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and the prestigious 2023 Honda Cup which will be presented during the live telecast of the Collegiate Women Sports Awards Presented by Honda in downtown L.A., on Monday, June 26, at 9 pm ET/6 PT on CBS Sports Network.

The swimming & diving finalists were selected by a panel of experts and coaches from the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA). The Honda Sport award winner for swimming & diving will be announced later this week after voting by administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. Each NCAA member institution has a vote.  

Douglass, a senior from Pelham, N.Y., earned the Honda Award for Swimming & Diving for the Class of 2022 and is a two-time Honda Award finalist. Most recently, she was named the CSCAA Swimmer of the Year, for the second year in a row, and was twice named the ACC Swimmer of the Year. She was the back-to-back winner of three individual NCAA Championships (200 IM, 100 butterfly, 200 breast) and helped UVA to its third straight NCAA title.

Walsh, also a part of the Virginia National Championship team, captured two individual championships (100 back, 100 free) and four relay championships en route to the title. She is an 11-time NCAA Champion overall and a 14-time CSCAA All-American. The sophomore from Nashville, Tenn., has won eight ACC conference titles and is a 14-time All-ACC honoree.

MacNeil, a graduate student from London, Ontario, Canada, is a three-time Honda Award finalist having also earned the honor in 2020 and 2021 with the University of Michigan. She was the individual champion in the 50 free at the NCAA Championship and earned LSU its first women’s swimming national title in school history. She is a 25-time CSCAA All-American and a 14-time conference champion (SEC, Big Ten).

Vazquez Montano is the 2023 CSCAA Diver of the Year after capturing the national title in both the 1-meter and 3-meter dives at the 2023 NCAA Championship. She is the first UNC athlete to win an individual diving championship. She swept the dives at the ACC Championship taking first in the 1-meter, 3-meter and platform to earn ACC Championship Most Outstanding Diver honors.

The CWSA, entering its 47th year, has honored the nation’s top NCAA women athletes for their superior athletic skills, leadership, academic excellence and eagerness to participate in community service.  Since commencing its partnership in 1986, Honda has provided more than $3.4 million in institutional grants to the universities of the award winners and nominees to support women’s athletics programs.  

About Honda Corporate Social Responsibility

For more than 60 years in the U.S., Honda has been committed to making positive contributions to the communities where its associates live and work. Honda’s mission is to create products and services that improve the lives of people while conducting its business in a sustainable manner and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. Accordingly, Honda believes in helping people reach their life’s potential through its focus on improving children’s health, inspiring underrepresented students, preserving the environment for future generations, creating safety for everyone, and strengthening our communities. Learn more at http://csr.honda.com/.