UNC's Nogueira wins top honor

Honda soccer award goes to junior

North Carolina junior forward Casey Nogueira has been chosen the nation's top collegiate female soccer player and will receive a 2009 Honda Sports Award.

The award, given annually to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA-sanctioned sports, also includes an automatic nomination for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year.

Nogueira, a 5-foot-6 communications major from Raleigh, was chosen over three other finalists -- Kerri Hanks and Brittany Bock, both Notre Dame seniors, and Christina DiMartino, a senior at UCLA -- by the National Soccer Coaches Association.

MORE SOCCER

MEREDITH PLAYER HONORED: Anna Buryk of Meredith College has been chosen to the NSCAA/Adidas NCAA Division III Women's All-South Region team for the second year.

VOLLEYBALL

NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP: Alix Klineman had 20 kills, Cynthia Barboza added 19 and second-seeded Stanford advanced to its third straight title match with a 20-25, 18-25, 25-15, 25-22, 15-13 victory over No. 3 Texas (29-4) on Thursday night at Omaha, Neb.

On Saturday, the Cardinal (31-3), the runner-up the past two years, will face the winner of the late semifinal between top-seeded Penn State (36-0) and No. 4 Nebraska (31-2).

ACC PLAYERS HONORED: Twelve ACC players made the 28th annual American Volleyball Coaches Association All-America Team.

ACC player of the year Danielle Hepburn of Clemson took third-team honors.

Receiving honorable mention were Clemson juniors Lia Proctor and Kelsey Murphy; Duke senior Jourdan Norman and junior Rachael Moss; North Carolina junior Heather Brooks and ACC defensive specialist of the year Brianna Eskola; Georgia Tech's Talisa Kellog and Callie Miller; ACC freshman of the year Lane Carico of Miami; Virginia Tech's Felicia Willoughby; and Wake Forest's Natalie Mulikin.

CROSS COUNTRY

ECU RUNNER HONORED: East Carolina runner Jarrett Newby is one of 12 recipients of the inaugural Conference USA Spirit of Service Award.

FOOTBALL

EDWARDS HONORED AGAIN: Junior quarterback Armanti Edwards became the first Appalachian State player to win the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision's top honor when he received the Walter Payton Award in Chattanooga, Tenn.

James Madison quarterback Rodney Landers and Western Illinois running back also were finalists for the award, which goes to the nation's top FCS (formerly Division I-AA).

GEORGIA TECH REWARDS JOHNSON: Georgia Tech first-year coach Paul Johnson, the ACC's coach of the year, was given a new seven-year, $17.7 million contract on Thursday.

MIAMI QB OUT: Miami quarterback Robert Marve will not play in the Emerald Bowl because of a violation of team academic rules regarding "a miscommunication about absentees for a class," the player said.