Smith Named Big Ten's Top Female Athlete
from press release
CHICAGO -- Already the national player of the
year in NCAA women's lacrosse, Northwestern junior Shannon Smith
(West Babylon, N.Y./West Babylon) was recognized as the 2011 Suzy
Favor Big Ten Female Athlete of the Year.
Smith is the fourth Northwestern student-athlete to receive the
prestigious distinction, following the likes of her former teammate
on the lacrosse team Hannah Nielsen in 2008 as well as two-sport
athlete Jennifer Averill in 1987 and softball's Lisa Ishikawa in
1984. Smith joins Nielsen as the only two recipients in the 31-year
history of the award to play a sport not sponsored by the Big Ten
Conference.
After a vote was conducted by a panel of conference media members,
the Big Ten Network announced Smith as this year's recipient during
its year-end awards show Monday evening. David Boudia of Purdue
men's diving was tabbed the Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year in
the conference.
"Shannon has an incredible will to win, to improve every day and to
make her teammates better," said head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller.
"She proved this year game-in and game-out that no matter what
people throw at her, she can break through. Her abilities as a
player and as a leader make her very deserving of winning this
award."
After leading Division I women's lacrosse in points from wire to
wire in the regular season, Smith raised her game to another level
in the postseason as she willed Northwestern to a seventh-straight
ALC championship and eventually its sixth NCAA championship in
seven years. She scored at least four goals in all six postseason
games for NU -- including five in each of the first four -- and
came up with the game-winning goals in an 11-10 semifinal win over
North Carolina as well as in a thrilling 8-7 victory over No. 1
Maryland for the national title.
Her 18 goals during the NCAA tournament -- second-most all-time for
one player in the national tournament -- netted her NCAA
Championship MVP honors and allowed her to break the Northwestern
single-season goals record with 86. Her 128 points on the year rank
as the second-best total ever by a Wildcat and seventh-best in
Division I women's lacrosse history.
Winner of the Tewaaraton Award and Lacrosse Honda Sports Award,
Smith's season included the sixth 10-point game (5g, 5a) in
Northwestern history (March 5 vs. Georgetown) as well as a
seven-goal effort in a 12-11 victory against seventh-ranked
Stanford. The first-team IWLCA All-American, who scored at least
three goals in 17 of NU's 22 games, also set career highs with 39
draw controls and 25 ground balls.
Smith will begin her senior year in 2012 tied for fifth in career
assists at NU (80), sixth in points (268) and seventh in goals
(188).
The Big Ten has recognized a Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year
since 1982 when Indiana's Jim Spivey earned the inaugural award.
The following year, a women's award was created. In 1991-92, as
part of the celebration of the 10th anniversary of women's
athletics in the conference, the women's award was renamed in honor
of former Wisconsin track standout and three-time recipient Suzy
Favor.
