Valerie van Kuijck, a sophomore midfielder from West Chester University, was named the DII Honda Athlete of the Year finalist for field hockey as announced today by Executive Director Chris Voelz of THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) presented by Honda.

Van Kuijck 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 47th year.

“It’s a great honor to represent the sport of field hockey for the Honda Awards and to be named an overall finalist,” said Van Kuijck. “Field hockey has been my passion since I was young and being recognized with this award is something that I would never have expected, and I am so grateful for that. I can’t express enough, nor will I ever forget, how grateful I am for all my teammates and coaches at West Chester University that have always been beyond supportive. I am so lucky that I have had the opportunity to become a field hockey student-athlete, it truly has been a dream, and this award really is the cherry on top of the cake.”

Van Kuijck, hailing from Densboch, The Netherlands, was most recently named the 2022 National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division II National Player of the Year and was named a NFHCA DII First-Team All-American in just her second season.

The midfielder led the team in scoring this fall and led the nation in assists per game while helping the Golden Rams reach the NCAA semifinals with a 15-5 mark on the season. She finished the year with 19 goals, 15 assists and 53 points and notched four game-winning goals on the year as well.

All Honda Sports nominees from DII and DIII become a finalist for the prestigious 2023 Honda Athlete of the Year in their respective divisions, presented in a live telecast on CBS Sports Network in June, 2023, in downtown Los Angeles. The Honda Award finalists 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 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 the areas of education, the environment, mobility, traffic safety and community. Learn more at http://csr.honda.com/.