The Missouri Athletic Club named the 15 candidates for its Player of the Year Award, which recognizes the nation’s top American-born or naturalized player.
The trophy, voted on by approximately 800 women’s coaches, will be awarded Jan. 19, 1997 at the MAC in St. Louis.
Defending NCAA champion Notre Dame and perennial powerhouse North Carolina head the list with four players each. The Irish are represented by senior midfielder Cindy Daws, junior midfielder Holly Manthei, senior goalkeeper Jen Renola and junior defender Kate Sobrero, while UNC is represented by sophomore midfielder/forward Cindy Parlow, junior defender Staci Wilson, sophomore midfielder Tiffany Roberts and junior forward Robin Confer.
The other nominees are Portland junior midfielder Justi Baumgardt, Texas A&M junior forward Bryn Blalack, Florida junior forward Danielle Fotopoulos, Santa Clara senior midfielder Jen Lalor, Stanford senior forward Erin Martin, Harvard junior midfielder Emily Stauffer and Connecticut junior defender Sara Whalen.
Fotopoulos (the former Danielle Garrett) was third in last year’s voting, Daws was seventh and Manthei was 10th.
Portland’s Shannon MacMillan won the award last year. She is the only non-North Carolina player to have won it.