Kadeisha Buchanan, a senior defender from the West Virginia University soccer team, was named the Honda Sport Award winner for soccer 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 41 years to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA- sanctioned sports and signifies “the best of the best in collegiate athletics”.  With this honor, Buchanan becomes a finalist for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and the prestigious 2017 Honda Cup which will be presented on a live telecast on CBS Sports Network on June 26, 2017, in downtown Los, Angeles.

Buchanan was chosen by a vote of administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. Finalists included Savannah McCaskill (South Carolina), Ashley Hitch (Brigham Young) and Cassie Miller (Florida State).

“I’m very honored to win the Honda Sport Award for soccer,” said Buchanan. “This award means a lot to me, as I’m representing my entire WVU soccer family. I enjoyed my four years in Morgantown, and I’m proud of all I was able to accomplish with this program.”

Hailing from Brampton, Ontario, Buchanan is a three-time first-team NSCAA All-American and the first player in school history to earn All-America status in each season at West Virginia. She is the four-time Big 12 Conference Defensive Player of the Year, a 2016 MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist and was named the 2016 NCAA Tournament Defensive MVP. This was her second straight nomination for the Honda Sport Award for soccer.

A two-time team captain, she led her team to a program-record 18 shutouts this fall while allowing just 12 goals in 27 matches. She also added nine point on the year on three goals and three assists.

She is a member of the Canadian National Team winning a bronze medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics and played in the 2015 FIFA World Cup. After her World Cup performance, she was a 2015 FIFA World Cup Best Young Player honoree.

“Kadeisha is an elite student-athlete,” stated head coach Nikki Izzo-Brown. “She worked hard throughout her four-year WVU career, and her soccer knowledge and dedication to the sport was evident each season. I’m very proud to see her win the Honda Sport Award for soccer – this is a fantastic way to acknowledge her achievements all year long.”

“Today’s Honda Sport Award recognition is a tremendous honor for Kadeisha,” said WVU Director of Athletics Shane Lyons. “She has proven herself to be one of the best in women’s soccer, and we are proud of everything she and the team accomplished during her four-year WVU career.”

Honda Sport Award winners will be presented with the honor during on-campus presentations throughout the year.

The CWSA, in its 41st year, honors 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 $3.1 million in institutional grants to the universities of the award winners and nominees to support women’s athletics programs at the institutions.