The Duke women’s soccer season is over, as they lost to the number one seed in their bracket, Penn State, in the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament last weekend. However, the awards for their players keep rolling in.

On Wednesday, junior Natasha Anasi was named one of 15 semifinalists for the Missouri Athletic Club‘s Hermann Trophy. This is the second straight year she was named a semifinalist. It is presented in January and is the most prestigious award given out in intercollegiate soccer.

Fans can help vote for the first time this year through LockerDome. NCAA Division I coaches who are also NSCAA members vote for their top choices from now until December 5th.

Anasi started all 23 games for Duke and logged a team high 2,017 minutes. She contributed two assists at the center back position and registered six shutouts. She was also named to the ACC’s second team following the season.

The other semifinalists are:

UCLA’s Zakiya Bywaters, North Carolina’s Crystal Dunn and Kealia Ohai, Florida State’s Ines Jaurena, BYU’s Lindsi Lisonbee Cutshall, Boston College’s Kristen Mewis, Virginia’s Carolina Miller, Florida’s Erika Tymrak, Georgetown’s Daphne Corboz, Stanford’s Alina Garciamendez and Rachel Quon, Julie Johnson (Santa Clara) and Penn State’s Maya Hayes and Christine Nairn.

On Thursday, freshman Cassie Pecht was named TopDrawerSoccer‘s National Rookie of the Year. She led the nation in assists with 15. This is the first such honor in the history of the Duke program. She was also named the ACC’s Rookie of the Year.

Pecht started every Duke match this season (all 23) and scored six goals to go along with her assists. Her 15 assists were a new Duke record for a freshman and they rank her second all-time in a single season. She either had a goal or an assist in 15 of Duke’s 23 matches this season.

» Continue reading “Plenty of Awards for Duke Women’s Soccer”

Kyrie Irving playing defense. Courtesy of DukeBluePlanet

Less than a year after being the number one pick in the NBA draft, Cleveland Cavaliers guard and former Duke player Kyrie Irving was named the Kia Rookie of the Year in the NBA.

He received 117 first place votes from a panel of 120 sportwriters and broadcasters.

Among NBA rookies, Irving ranked first in scoring (18.5 points per game), field goal percentage (46.9%), and free throw percentage (87.2%). He was second in assists (5.4 assists per game) and three point field goal percentage (39.9%).

Among all NBA players, Irving was fourth in fourth quarter scoring (6.4 points).

Irving became just the fifth player ever to be drafted number one in the NBA draft and average at least 18 PPG and 5 APG. He joins Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, Allen Iverson, and LeBron James.

KIA Motors America will donate a new Kia Sorento CUV to the New Jersey Roadrunners, Irving’s former AAU team. They will also present a brand new Sorento to the charity of choice of each of five 2011-12 year-end award winners as part of the “The Kia NBA Performance Awards.”

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Duke freshman center Elizabeth Williams earned another honor on Tuesday, as she was named the ACC’s Rookie of the Year.

It shouldn’t have come as much of a shock, as she earned nine ACC Rookie of the Week honors this season, which tied for most in the league’s history. She averaged 14.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 3.6 blocks. The blocks rank her first in the ACC and third nationally.

Williams is the fourth Blue Devil to earn the honor: Alana Beard (2001), Katie Meier (1986), and Chris Moreland (1985).

Rounding out the All-ACC Freshmen team are Nikki Dixon (Clemson), Brene Moseley (Maryland), Brittany Rountree (North Carolina), and Sydney Wallace (Georgia Tech).

The women’s ACC Tournament begins on Thursday afternoon. Duke faces the winner of the 8-9 game on Friday at 3pm ET.