She now holds the Honda Sport Award in both Cross Country and Track & Field as she becomes a finalist for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and 2024 Honda Cup.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – She won five NCAA distance titles in 2023-24. Today, after her dominating season, Parker Valby was named the Honda Sport Award winner for Track & Field as announced by Chris Voelz, Executive Director of THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA).
Earlier this year, Valby claimed Florida’s first Honda Award for Cross Country. After adding a quartet of titles during Track & Field, Valby claimed UF’s second consecutive Track & Field Honda Award. Florida’s Jasmine Moore took home the award in 2023.
Honda Award Cross Country/Track & Field Sweeps
2023-24 Parker Valby Florida
2010-11 Sheila Reid Villanova
1997-98 Amy Skieresz Arizona
1996-97 Amy Skieresz Arizona
1977-78 Kathy Mills Penn State
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 telecase on CBS Sports Network on Monday, June 24, 2024 at 7 PM ET, from its new home in New York City.
Valby was voted the Track & Field recipient by administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. Finalists for the award included McKenzie Long (Ole Miss), Maia Ramsden (Harvard) and Jaida Ross (Oregon).
During the 2024 Track & Field season, Valby totaled four NCAA Individual Championships. With the addition of her Cross Country individual title, Valby became the first female distance runner in NCAA history to win five NCAA individual titles in a single academic year. Her first two titles came while competing at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Boston, Mass. After earning the indoor 5000m collegiate record earlier in the season, Valby undercut her own record on route to the NCAA Indoor 5000m title as she ran a time of 14:52.79. This time also set a new meet record, facility record, school record and personal record. Less than 24 hours later, Valby earned the 3000m title in meet record time of 8:41.50. She became the first Gator in program history to win indoor titles in each event.
Valby opened her outdoor season at the Bryan Clay Invitational as she made her collegiate debut in the 10,000m. Despite it being her first time competing at said distance, the redshirt junior set the collegiate record in the event by posting a time of 30:50.43. She continued her season at the SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships as she became the back-to-back SEC Outdoor 5000m Champion in meet record time (15:07.86).
She ended the campaign at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships where she tallied NCAA Championships in both the 10,000m and 5000m. Valby first competed in the 10,000m where she set yet another meet record on route to her first place finish (31:46.09) and became the first Gator woman in program history to be an individual champion in the event. Two days later, Valby earned the third collegiate record of her career as she took home first place in the Women’s 5000m with a time of 14:52.18, topping the previous record by 11 seconds. The now back-to-back NCAA 5000m Champion also set a meet record, facility record, program record and personal record with her time.
Valby helped her team to runner-up finishes at both the NCAA Indoor and NCAA Outdoor Championships. She is now a nine-time USTFCCCA All-American across the two sports.
Valby’s 2024 Track & Field Season
* Led the Florida Gators to Runner-Up finishes at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships and NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships
* 2024 NCAA Outdoor 5000m Individual Champion
* 2024 NCAA Outdoor 10000m Individual Champion
* 2024 SEC Outdoor 5000m Champion
* 2024 NCAA Indoor 3000m Individual Champion
* 2024 NCAA Indoor 5000m Individual Champion
* 2024 SEC Indoor 3000m Champion
* 2024 SEC Indoor DMR Champion
* Holds NCAA/Collegiate Record for 5000m Indoor – 14:52.79
* Holds NCAA/Collegiate Record for 5000m Outdoor – 14:52.18
* Holds NCAA/Collegiate Record for 10000m Outdoor – 30:50.43
* Appeared on all seven Bowerman Watchlists
* 2024 NCAA Div. I National Indoor Women’s Runner of the Year
* 2024 NCAA Div. I South Region Women’s Indoor Runner of the Year
* 2024 SEC Indoor Women’s Runner of the Year
Florida now has Honda winners in nine different sports, leading the nation’s programs.
Gator Honda Sports Award Recipients
Name
Sport
Year
Parker Valby
Track & Field
2023
Parker Valby
Cross Country
2023
Jasmine Moore
Track & Field
2023
Trinity Thomas
Gymnastics
2023
Trinity Thomas
Gymnastics
2022
Yanis David
Track & Field
2019
Rhamat Alhassan
Volleyball
2018
Belinda Woolcock
Tennis
2017
Alex McMurtry
Gymnastics
2017
Kelly Barnhill
Softball
2017
Bridget Sloan
Gymnastics
2016
Lauren Haeger
Softbal
2015
Kytra Hunter
Gymnastics
2015
Kelsey Bruder
Softball
2011
Caroline Burckle
Swimming
2008
Danielle Fotopoulos
Soccer
1998
Jill Craybas
Tennis
1996
Nicole Haislett
Swimming
1994
Lisa Raymond
Tennis
1993
Lisa Raymond
Tennis
1992
Shaun Stafford
Tennis
1988
Page Dunlap
Golf
1986
Deb Richard
Golf
1985
Tracy Caulkins
Swimming
1984^
Tracy Caulkins
Swimming
1983
Tracy Caulkins
Swimming
1982^
Ann Woods
Gymnastics
1982
Renee Laravie
Swimming
1978
^Recipient of Broderick Award (previous name of Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year Award
The Honda Award
The Honda Sports Award acknowledges athletic achievement as well as scholastics and community involvement, and is given to female athletes in 12 different NCAA-sanctioned sports throughout the year. Each Honda Sports Award winner is recognized as the top collegiate female athlete in her sport, and the award is considered by many as one of the highest honors a female college athlete can receive in the nation.
In honor of Valby winning the award, American Honda Motor Co., Inc., will donate $5,000 to the women’s athletic program at the University of Florida.
A Gator has been recognized as a Honda Sports winner 30 times across nine different sports. Winners in nine different sports leads all programs in the nation.
Gator Great and U.S. Olympic gold medalist swimmer Tracy Caulkins is the only Gator to win the Broderick Cup (renamed Honda Award in 1987), earning the top award in 1982 and 1984. Gator gymnast Thomas (2022) and softball’s Lauren Haeger (2015) was among the Honda Cup final three.
2023-2024 Honda Sports Award Recipients
Sport Name YR School
Basketball Caitlin Clark SR Iowa
Cross Country Parker Valby JR Florida
Field Hockey Ryleigh Heck JR North Carolina
Golf Ingrid Lindblad GR LSU
Gymnastics Haleigh Bryant SR LSU
Lacrosse Izzy Scane GR Northwestern
Soccer Joe Echegini SR Florida State
Softball NiJaree Canady SO Stanford
Swimming Gretchen Walsh JR Virginia
Tennis Mary Stoiana JR Texas A&M
Track & Field Parker Valby JR Florida
Volleyball Madisen Skinner JR Texas
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