Katie Ledecky Wins Honda Award as Top Women’s College Athlete

Photo Courtesy: JD Lasica

Stanford freshman Katie Ledecky won the Honda Cup as the top collegiate women’s athlete, as awarded by the Collegiate Women’s Sports Awards on Monday night.

In the 41-year history of the Honda Cup, Ledecky is the second freshman to win the award, joining University of Florida swimmer Tracy Caulkins in 1981-82. Ledecky is also Stanford’s first Honda Cup winner since Ogonna Nnamani in 2005, and the third overall as former Stanford swimmer Tara Kirk took home the honor in 2004.

The most decorated American female athlete at the Rio Olympic Games (four golds, one silver and two World Records), nine-time World Champion and two-time Olympian, Ledecky capped one of the most impressive freshman campaigns in NCAA history with five national titles, the most in the nation, at the NCAA Championships.

The Bethesda, Maryland native was the first NCAA swimmer in 29 years to capture individual NCAA titles in the 200, 500 and 1650-free, and was a member of Stanford’s American record-setting 400 free and 800 free relays. A five-time All-American, Ledecky broke the American and NCAA record in the 500 free, and bested her own NCAA mark in the 1000 free en route to the national title in the 1650 free, an event she won by more than 20 seconds. Ledecky won four conference titles (all in American record time) at the Pac-12 Championships, was named the Pac-12 Championship Swimmer of the Meet, and was the only swimmer twice named Pac-12 Swimmer of the Month in the course of Stanford’s undefeated dual meet season.

In total, over the course of her first season at Stanford, Ledecky set five individual American records and seven individual NCAA records in three different events, and broke Stanford team records in five different individual events. A standout in the classroom as well, Ledecky has now broken 13 World Records and 30 American Records in her swimming career.

Ledecky’s teammate Nicole Stafford also accepted her Honda Inspiration Award at the live awards show in Los Angeles.

Ledecky and many of her Stanford teammates are set to compete at the Phillips 66 USA National Championships in Indianapolis, beginning Tuesday morning.

Press release courtesy of Stanford Athletics.

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