NEW YORK (AP) — Ann Meyers Drysdale felt nostalgic spending the day with so many other Honda Cup award winners, including fellow UCLA Bruins great Jackie Joyner-Kersee.
The award, given annually to the top female college athlete, was celebrating its 50th annivesary Monday. The best player in every sport is invited to the ceremony each year.
“When you're a young college athlete, you don’t understand the importance of it,” said Meyers Drysdale, who starred
in basketball at UCLA and won the award in its second year in 1978. “There’s so many basketball players, which is, you know, pretty exciting. But just the great athletes from all the different sports, I think that’s what I’m appreciative of the Honda Awards, that they recognize so many athletes from so many different sports.”
Out of all the individual sport winners, an overall Athlete of the Year is chosen to receive the Honda Cup. In addition to athletic performance, the award honors college athletes for their leadership, academics and community service.
“It’s great that it honors more than just what is done on the court or field,” said Jen Rizzotti, who won the award in 1996 after a successful basketball career at UConn. “They make sure that they’re well-rounded and have a balanced portfolio. They give back in the community, they’re great in the classroom.”
Delta State basketball great Lusia Harris won the first Honda Cup in 1977. There have been 18 other basketball players crowned as the top athlete, more than any other sport. Maya Moore and Caitlin Clark each won twice. UCLA softball great Rachel Garcia and Florida swimmer Tracy Caulkins are the only other athletes to win twice.
Tennessee star Chamique Holdsclaw won the award in 1998. She loved the chance to get to know so many athletes from other sports.
“It exposed me to different things and to people playing different sports,” Holdsclaw said. “I was learning about things like women's lacrosse and growing up in New York City and playing at Tennessee we didn't have that. I think it was great that the award recognized greatness in every sport.”
The award ceremony has come a long way from the first in 1977. Missy Marlowe won the Honda Cup in 1992 after a successful gymnastics career at Utah. That came after competing in the Olympics in 1988. Marlowe remembered receiving the Honda Cup at an NCAA convention back in the day.
After a 12-year run in Los Angeles, the award ceremony moved to New York in 2024 and has been there ever since.
“It’s inspiring. It’s a really neat break from reality to remember what we used to do a long time ago,” Marlowe said. “To see this this tradition continue for 50 years is incredible because it’s easy to start something and have it go for a while and then kind of die off. So the determination and the work that’s gone into keeping this so prevalent for 50 years, and in fact, gain in importance, is amazing.”
Julie Shea was the first non-basketball winner of the Honda Cup after a stellar track career at N.C. State. She was honored to be back and see all the positive changes for women’s athletics with many players making money for their name, image and likeness.
“I sold programs and popcorn and peanuts at the football games,” Shea recalled. “I’m happy for them. But I’m like, hey, you know, I just was born in the wrong era.”
Shea was one of 20 former winners who took part in the ceremony in New York on Monday.
“That’s what’s great about the Honda Cup and what college women’s sports is all about is bringing people together,” Joyner said. “Being able to see some of the people winning and them seeing us, not even born when we were doing what we were doing.”
Joyner-Kersee won the award in 1985. She was an inspiration to Stanford volleyball player Ogonna Nnamani (2005). Nnamani, who suffered from asthma when she was an athlete, saw Joyner-Kersee succeed in the Olympics while also being afflicted with the same thing. Nnamani said that if Joyner-Kersee could do it she could too.
“I got to tell her that she inspired me because of what she was able to do,” said Nnamani, who is a doctor now.
