Kelly Doton Wins National Player Of The Year
12/10/2003 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Dec. 10, 2003
Winston-Salem, NC - Senior Kelly Doton is the 2003-2004 recipient of the Honda Award, announced the United States Field Hockey Association this morning. Doton is the first Demon Deacon to receive the coveted Honda Award and the first Deacon athlete to win national player of the year while at the same time winning a National Championship.
The Honda Awards Program honors outstanding female collegiate athletes in field hockey and 11 other NCAA sports. These women perform at the highest levels of athletics and demonstrate leadership skills, academic excellence and community involvement.
"Thank goodness she wasn't competing when I was" said head coach Jennifer Averill, who won the award in the 1986-87 season when she played for Northwestern. "I think it's a tremendous honor for her, she's been extremely loyal to Wake Forest and a great asset to our program. For her to be recognized as the top collegiate player says a lot about herself her teammates and this institution."
In her four years as a Deacon, Kelly led the team to four Final Four appearances, two National Championship Titles, and a combined record of 76-12. She received the ACC Player of the Year award for 2002 and 2003. She became the only player in Division I history to be named to the NCAA All-Tournament team all four years of her collegiate career.