Honda Cup Celebrates 50 Years With Reunion of Female College Athletes

Dozens of former Honda Cup winners gathered in New York on Monday to celebrate five decades of recognizing excellence in women’s college athletics. The prestigious award, which honors the nation’s top female collegiate athlete annually, convened 20 past recipients for the milestone ceremony, creating an opportunity for athletes spanning generations to reconnect and reflect on their achievements.

Ann Meyers Drysdale, who won the award in 1978 during her standout basketball career at UCLA, expressed appreciation for the gathering and the award’s comprehensive approach to celebrating female athletes. She noted the significance of recognizing competitors across all sports rather than focusing solely on individual disciplines, emphasizing the caliber of athletes the Honda Cup acknowledges each year.

Since its inception in 1977, when Delta State basketball player Lusia Harris became the first recipient, basketball has dominated the award with 19 winners. Athletes including Maya Moore and Caitlin Clark have each captured the honor twice, while UCLA softball standout Rachel Garcia and Florida swimmer Tracy Caulkins are the only other two-time winners in non-basketball sports.

The award extends beyond athletic performance to recognize leadership, academic achievement and community service contributions. Jen Rizzotti, who earned the award in 1996 following her basketball career at UConn, underscored the importance of this holistic evaluation approach in identifying truly well-rounded student-athletes.

Julie Shea, the first non-basketball player to win the Honda Cup following her track career at North Carolina State, attended Monday’s ceremony and reflected on how opportunities for female athletes have transformed. She noted the rise of name, image and likeness compensation that now allows current athletes to earn money, a benefit unavailable during her competitive era.

Jackie Joyner-Kersee, the 1985 Honda Cup winner, attended the reunion and highlighted the award’s role in connecting athletes across generations. Her success while managing asthma inspired later winner Ogonna Nnamani, now a physician, who also competed with the same condition while playing volleyball at Stanford in 2005.

The ceremony marked a shift in the award’s geography, with the Honda Cup moving from a 12-year run in Los Angeles to New York beginning in 2024. Former gymnastics winner Missy Marlowe, who earned the award in 1992 following her 1988 Olympic competition experience, praised the award’s endurance and growing prominence over half a century.