Nov. 27, 2006
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
For the third-straight year, the Collegiate Women Sports Awards has announced that senior Paula Infante is one of four finalists for the Honda Sports Award, presented to the nation's top field hockey player. Infante, who won the honor last year, is one of just two players in the history of the award to be a three-time finalist.
Paula Infante (Santiago, Chile) led the Terrapins to the program's fifth NCAA Championship and second-straight on Nov. 19, as they defeated Wake Forest, 1-0, in Winston-Salem, N.C. It was the first time in the history of the program the team had won back-to-back titles.
Only the second field hockey Terp to win the Honda Award, Infante was recently named first team All-American by the National Coaches Association for the fourth time, also earning several other prestigious honors, including ACC Defensive Player of the Year acknowledgements for the second time. She helped the Terps post a team record-tying 12 shutouts as the defense ranked third in the nation with a 0.73 goals against average. She was also a threat on the offensive end. She was tied for first on the team with five game-winning goals, was second with 31 points and was tied for second with 12 goals.
Infante leaves Maryland as the most decorated player in the history of the program. She ranks among the all-time great Terrapins. Her 58 career goals are tied for the fifth-most all-time, while her 139 points rank seventh.
Wake Forest's Lauren Crandall, Connecticuts Lizzy Peija and Duke's Amy Stopford were also named finalists for the award.
West Chester University's Karen Shelton, current coach of the University of North Carolina, is the only other player to be nominated three times. She was won the honor from 1977-79.
The winner of the nationwide balloting of all NCAA senior women's administrators will become the field hockey nominee for the prestigious Honda-Broderick Cup, given annually to the nation's outstanding collegiate woman athlete of the year.
In addition, America Honda will donate $1,000 to the women's athletic fund of each nominee's university. The winner's program will receive $5,000.
-TERPS-
