Home > Sport

Hanavan scores again as Division II player of the year
Metro's all-time leader in goals and assists receives top award
By Jeremy Johnson
jjohn308@mscd.edu

Graphic by Joe Nguyen • nguyejos@mscd.edu

Metro forward Kylee Hanavan capped a stellar collegiate soccer career when, on Jan. 10, the senior was named the National Soccer Coaches Association of America/Adidas Women’s Division II Player of the Year.

The accolades came on the heels of Hanavan’s and Metro’s second national championship in three years. During the three seasons she played starting forward with the Roadrunners, Hanavan set many school records while being named to the All-American team for three straight years.

“I think it’s well-deserved,” Hanavan said. “But I really think it shows the depth of the team and that it’s not an individual achievement, but a team achievement.”

Hanavan led Metro to national titles in 2004 and 2006 and, in 2005, took the ’Runners to the Elite Eight, where they were eliminated in an overtime shootout.

Hanavan led the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in 2006 in points (66), goals (23) and assists (20) en route to her second conference Player of the Year award. Her 20 assists set a Metro single-season team record.

“It’s a fitting way to cap her career,” head coach Danny Sanchez said. “In particular, it reveals a lot about our program overall, to have our players recognized like that.”

Hanavan was honored Jan. 13 at the NSCAA/Adidas annual All-American luncheon, held in Indianapolis.

“It was awesome being there,” Hanavan said. “It was great seeing everyone, in all ages of soccer, away from the field and getting along, and getting the awards they deserve.”

The luncheon honored national players of the year for NCAA Division I, II and III, along with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics junior college participants.

Dowling College’s Morten Jensen was named the men’s Division II Player of the Year, while Notre Dame’s Kerri Hanks and Joseph Lapira won the Division I women’s and men’s honors, respectively.

Laura Koontz of Wheaton College and Dana Leary of Williams College won the women’s and men’s honors in Division III, respectively.

Aside from winning a national championship, Metro accumulated a long list of other accolades this season.

Along with Hanavan, seniors Rachel Zollner and Kira Sharp earned first-team All-American honors this season, and sophomore Nicole Cito was named second-team All-American.

Zollner received national regard in November when ESPN The Magazine named the goalkeeper to their Academic All-American team. Sharp earned a spot in the limelight by scoring a pair of game-winning goals in the final two games of the playoffs to lead Metro to their second national championship.

“A lot of times you don’t get individual recognition if your team isn’t playing well,” Sanchez said. “Awards go hand in hand with the team’s success. Winning enables the players to be recognized for their individual efforts.”

Hanavan leaves Metro as the all-time career leader in points (206), goals (80) and assists (46).

“I never thought anything about it,” Hanavan said. “Every day I just played the best I could and tried to win it for the team. The national championships just kind of came with it.”