Shippensburg junior Neely Spence has been nominated by the board of The Collegiate Women Sports Awards as a candidate for the 2010-2011 Honda Division II Athlete of the Year representing cross country.

Athletes are nominated by national coaches associations for each of 11 sports: basketball, cross country, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field and volleyball. A ballot featuring 11 sports winners will be distributed for voting in June.

Spence joins Samantha Middleborn (Cal St. Bernardino, volleyball) and Jenna Wenglinski (Grand Valley State, soccer) as current nominees for the award. American Honda Motor Co., Inc. will donate $1,000 to the women's athletic fund of each nominee's current institution.

Now in its 35th year, the Collegiate Women Sports Awards program recognizes annually the top woman collegiate athlete in each of 11 sports in Divisions II and III as nominees for the Division II and III Athletes of the Year for its 24th year.

Previous award winners from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference include Danielle Penner (1997-98, softball, Cal) and Kristin Erb (2005-06 and 2008-09, softball, Lock Haven).