Nov. 25, 2009

Katie's webpage

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Earlier this week, Maryland field hockey junior Katie O'Donnell was announced as a nominee for this year's Honda Award, the award given to the nation's top field hockey player. This nomination is O'Donnell's second for the award, after being named a nominee as a freshman in 2007. Maryland's Susie Rowe won the Honda Award in 2008.

On Monday, O'Donnell was named the nation's Offensive Most Valuable Player for the second straight year, and National Player of the Year, both by womensfieldhockey.com. Earlier this week, O'Donnell was named an NFHCA First Team All-American for the third consecutive year and the All-Mid Atlantic Region Player of the Year. She led the nation in points (87) and assists (31) this season. O'Donnell finished the year ranked second in the ACC in goals (28), only behind teammate Nicole Muracco (31).

Earlier this month, she earned the ACC's Offensive Player of the Year award, also for the third consecutive year, and the honor of ACC Tournament Most Valuable Player. She was also an ACC All-Tournament team member in 2008.

Over the course of the 2009 season, O'Donnell broke an unprecedented number of school, conference, and national records. She became the school's single-season (87) and career points leader (208). She broke the ACC and Maryland career assist records and now has 74 career assists. O'Donnell is the first player in Maryland history to break 25 goals and 30 assists in a season.

With her performance this year, she earned her 200th point, making her the 24th player in NCAA history to break the 200-point mark. In the NCAA semifinals round, she recorded a new Tournament record - nine points in a championship round game.

Internationally, O'Donnell has been a member of the U.S. Senior National team since 2005 and was the youngest player ever to record a cap for a U.S. team. She competed with fellow Terps Brianna Davies and Alexis Pappas in the Junior World Cup games this past summer.

O'Donnell is an elementary education major and a recipient of the Bob and Carol Baker Director's Circle Scholarship. In the 2008-09 academic year, she earned spots on both the ACC's honor roll and the Maryland honor roll. Earlier this fall, she was featured as the cover story in the fall 2009 edition of NCAA's Champions magazine.

Other nominees for this year's award are Paige Selenski (Virginia), Katie Reinprecht (Princeton) and Loren Sherer (Connecticut). Senior Women Administrators from all Division I, II, and III institutions will conduct voting next week for this award and the results will be announced early next month. In addition to the honor of this selection, American Honda will donate $1,000 to the women's athletic fund of each nominee's university. The winner's program will receive $5,000.