Berta Bonardi, a sophomore from the University of West Florida, was named the DII Honda Athlete of the Year finalist for tennis as announced by Executive Director Chris Voelz of THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) presented by Honda.

Bonardi is now designated one of 11 finalists for the prestigious DII 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.

Nationally ranked at No. 1 all season including the final ITA ranking, Berta Bonardi went 18-1 overall at the 1 spot in singles and went 14-2 overall in doubles at the 1 and 2 spot. She hails from Pergamino, Buenos Aires.

In the Gulf South Conference (GSC), Bonardi went undefeated in 1 singles going 9-0 and 1 and 2 doubles going 8-0. She was named GSC Player of the Week six times this season and earned first-team All-GSC honors. 

During the fall season, Bonardi went 9-1 in singles, including an 8-0 mark to claim the ITA South Regional Title and the ITA Cup to win the Division 2 National Championship. She became the third women's tennis student-athlete at UWF to win a national title and the first since 1989. She later went 1-1 in the Oracle ITA Fall National Championship in a 64-player field made up of Division I student-athletes.

All Honda Sports nominees from DII and DIII become a finalist for the prestigious 2019 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 DII and DIII 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 $3.3 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/