The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
No. 1 Volleyball’s Skinner named CWSA Honda Sport Award Winner
01.23.2024 | Volleyball
The senior outside hitter is the second-straight Longhorn to win the award.
AUSTIN, Texas – No. 1 Texas Volleyball's Madisen Skinner was named the Honda Sport Award winner for volleyball as announced by Chris Voelz, Executive Director of The Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA).
The Honda Sport Award has been presented annually by the CWSA for the past 48 years to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA- sanctioned sports and signifies "the best of the best in collegiate athletics". The winner of the sport award becomes a finalist for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and the prestigious 2024 Honda Cup, which will be presented on a live telecast on CBS Sports Network on Monday, June 24, 2024, at 6 PM CT, from its new home in New York City.
Skinner was chosen by a vote of administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. Finalists included Merritt Beason (Nebraska), Rachel Fairbanks (Pittsburgh) and Sarah Franklin (Wisconsin). This is the second straight Honda Sport Award winner from Texas volleyball after Logan Eggleston won the honor for the Class of 2023 and was named a Top Three. This is also just the third time Texas has won a Honda Sports Award in back-to-back years, with the most recent coming in 2004-05 & 2005-06 with Cat Osterman and Softball. Jill Sterkel won that honor for Swimming & Diving in 1979-80 and 1980-81.
Skinner was named the 2023 NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player after finishing the championship match with 16 kills, two aces and one block en route to a second straight National Championship title. Overall, the outside hitter has been a part of three national titles after winning the 2020 Championship as a freshman at Kentucky.
A junior from Katy, Texas, Skinner was named a 2023 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) First Team All-American and is a two-time AVCA All-Southwest Region honoree along with a two-time First Team All-Big 12 member.
She finished the season ranked fifth in the nation in points per set (5.54) and sixth nationally in kills per set (4.80) and led the team with 46 service aces.
The CWSA, entering its 48th year, has honored the nation's top NCAA women athletes for their superior athletic skills, leadership, academic excellence and eagerness to participate in community service. Since commencing its partnership in 1986, Honda has provided more than $3.4 million in institutional grants to the universities of the award winners and nominees to support women's athletics programs.
