As the Honda Award winner for softball, Finch, a junior from LaMirada, Calif. (LaMirada H.S.), pitched a four-hit, 1-0 shutout of UCLA in the NCAA championship game, in which she struck out seven and walked just two (one intentionally). She is the first Arizona starting pitcher to complete a season undefeated on the mound (32-0), including 20 shutouts, one of which was her fifth career no-hitter. Finch complemented her 0.54 earned-run average and 253 strikeouts with a .313 batting average, 11 home runs (three grand slams) and 57 RBI. She was named first team All-Pacific Region and first team All-America by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.

Previous Honda Award winners for softball include UCLA's Lisa Fernandez (1991-93), who was named Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year in 1993, and last year's recipient, Courtney Blades of the University of Southern Mississippi.

Finch will soon be joined by another woman collegiate athlete voted as the most outstanding in track & field, plus previously announced winners Jen Adams (lacrosse) of Maryland, Mohini Bhardwaj (gymnastics) of UCLA, Greichaly Cepero (volleyball) of Nebraska, Marina DiGiacomo (field hockey) of Old Dominion, Meredith Florance (soccer) of North Carolina, Laura Granville (tennis) of Stanford, Kara Grgas-Wheeler (cross country) of Colorado, Candy Hannemann (golf) of Duke, Misty Hyman (swimming and diving) of Stanford, and Jackie Stiles (basketball) of Southwest Missouri State. All Honda Award winners are automatically nominated for Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year honors.

The Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year will be determined by separate balloting involving all NCAA-member institutions. The announcement of the winner and presentation of the Honda-Broderick Cup will be made at the 25th annual Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year banquet, June 11 at Salt Lake City, Utah, site of the 2001 National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Convention.

American Honda Motor Co., Inc. sponsors the awards program.