KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Senior Anna Behm (Kutztown, Pa./Kutztown) of Kutztown University was named the field hockey nominee for the Class of 2016 Division II Honda Athlete of the Year as announced by Chris Voelz, Executive Director of THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) today.
She is now designated one of 11 finalists for the prestigious DII Honda Athlete of the Year honor. This will be voted on at the end of the academic year by national balloting among 1,000 NCAA member schools as part of THE CWSA program, now in its 40th year.
“This is truly an honor, knowing that there are so many student-athletes, especially within the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, that are so talented both on and off the field,” Behm said. “I would not be where I am today, with the accolades that I have achieved, without the help from my coaches and teammates pushing me to be stronger and better each day.”
Behm is a Longstreth/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) two-time first-team All-American and was named the PSAC Athlete of the Year after one of the most prolific offensive seasons in school history. She led the PSAC in goals (1.16) and points per game (2.79) and ranked second in assists per game (0.47). The senior forward from Kutztown, Pa., also ranked second in Division II in scoring and points behind Stonehill’s Erika Kelly.
She posted 22 goals on the season which were the second-most in KU single-season history and nine assists as the fifth-most in school single-season history. Overall, her 53 points rank second all-time.
For her career, Behm was a three-time All-PSAC forward and started all 66 of her games. Her 56 goals and 129 points both rank third all-time in program history. She set a school-record by scoring in 10-straight games, breaking her own record of six from 2014.
“Anna is so deserving of this award, not because of her play on the field, which is outstanding, but because she is a great role model and person,” head coach Marci Scheuing said. “She is the perfect example of the term ‘student-athlete’ because of her work in the classroom, on campus and on the field. She is the PSAC Athlete of the Year and President of our Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, but her greatest accomplishment is how her teammates view her as a role model.”
All sports nominees from DII and DIII become a finalist for the prestigious 2016 Honda Collegiate Athlete of the Year in their respective divisions, presented on a live telecast on June 27, 2016, in the Founders’ Room at the Galen Center on the campus of the University of Southern California in downtown Los, Angeles.
The sports nominees are recognized in 11 DII and DIII NCAA-sanctioned sports; cross country, basketball, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, volleyball, and track & field.
The CWSA, celebrating its 40th year, has honored the nation’s top NCAA women athletes recognizing superior athletic skills, leadership, academic excellence and eagerness to participate in community service. Since commencing its sponsorship thirty years ago in 1986, Honda has provided more than $3.0 million in institutional grants to the universities of the award winners and nominees to support women’s athletics programs at the institutions.
