A pair of juniors, Joanna Lohman of Penn State University and Joseph Ngwenya of Coastal Carolina University, have been named the NSCAA/adidas Scholar Athletes of the Year. They are the first players to win the award in their junior years, giving them the opportunity to become the first repeat winners in 2003.
A midfielder, Lohman was a first-team All-Big Ten selection for the second consecutive season and finished 2002 with 10 goals (including three game-winners) and 11 assists for 31 points. She also helped Penn State to a 19-41-1 record and a berth in the NCAA Women's College Cup semifinals, where the Nittany Lions fell to eventual NCAA champion Portland. The native of Silver Spring, Md., is a two-time NSCAA/adidas All-America first-team selection and was a finalist for the Missouri Athletic Club’s Hermann Trophy, presented to the top college player in the country. In the classroom, Lohman has compiled an impressive 3.97 GPA majoring in business management.
A forward, Ngwenya was named the Big South Conference Player of the Year after leading the nation with 26 goals scored and 63 points, breaking Coastal Carolina’s single-season record in both categories. A native of Bulwayo, Zimbabwe, he led the Chanticleers to a 19-3-2 record and the No. 25 ranking in the final NSCAA/adidas Division I national poll. He was named Most Valuable Player of the Kentucky Traditional Bank Invitational and to two other all-tournament teams. He also earned second-team NSCAA/adidas All-America honors this year. Academically, Ngwenya boasts a 3.56 GPA in computer science.
Both will be recognized for their achievements at the NSCAA/adidas All-America Luncheon, to be held Saturday, Jan. 18, as part of the 2003 NSCAA Convention in Kansas City, Mo.
