Senior Jane Campbell has been nominated for U.S. Soccer's Young Female Athlete of the Year award.
"We were amazed to receive news of Jane's nomination from U.S. Soccer," said Mike Campbell, her father. "This is a special honor. What is especially impressive is all the other nominees are in college and some play on the U20 team."
Fans can vote for finalists on U.S. Soccer's Facebook page throughout the week. The winners will be announced Monday, Dec. 3.
Campbell, who has already committed to play soccer for Stanford University for the fall of 2013, was called a "future game changer" in the July issue of
Sports Illustrated. In addition to her role as goalkeeper for Darlington School Soccer Academy, she is a member of Concorde Fire South in Kennesaw.
Competing at the national level since she was 14, Campbell has claimed a spot as one of a talented crop of current U.S. U17 Women’s National Team goalkeepers. She has seen great success on the field at international events like CONCACAF (the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football) last spring and the U17 Women's World Cup this fall.
Other nominees for Young Female Athlete of the Year include midfielder Vanessa DiBernardo, defender Crystal Dunn, defender Julie Johnston and forward Kealia Ohai. Nominees must be age eligible for any of the Youth National Teams and can only win the award once in their career.
The list of Female Athlete of the Year finalists includes three previous winners: midfielder Carli Lloyd (2008), goalkeeper Hope Solo (2009) and Abby Wambach (2003, 2004, 2007, 2010 and 2011). The past winners are joined by first-time nominees midfielder Megan Rapinoe and forward Alex Morgan.
Earlier this month, Clint Dempsey was named 2012 Male Athlete of the Year and Rubio Rubin named Young Male Athlete of the Year. Felicia Schroeder earned the 2012 Disabled Athlete of the Year award.
The U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year awards are the oldest and most prestigious awards of their kind, dating back to 1984 for the men and 1985 for the women, while the Young Male and Young Female awards were added in 1998.
Online votes for the Athlete of the Year awards comprise 50% of the total votes. As in years past, the other 50% will be represented by votes compiled from members of the national media and U.S. Soccer representatives (from National Team coaches to the National Board of Directors).
