For the second time in her career, University of Georgia senior Katarina Jokic has been named a finalist for the Honda Sport Award for Tennis, it was announced Tuesday.
Jokic is one of the four finalists along with Sara Daavettila (University of North Carolina), Emma Navarro (University of Virginia) and Estela Perez-Somarriba (University of Miami, Fla.), as announced by Chris Voelz, Executive Director of The Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA). The tennis finalists were chosen by a combination of NCAA Championship finishes and national tennis rankings. The Honda Sport Award winner for Tennis will be announced later this week after voting by administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. Each NCAA member institution has a vote.
Jokic, a native of Novi Grad, Bosnia who graduated with a degree in risk management, led the 2021 Bulldogs to a final national ranking of No. 4. Georgia went 23-2, captured the SEC regular season and tournament crowns and advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championships. Currently, Jokic is ranked No. 4 nationally in singles and No. 6 in doubles (final ITA rankings are due out June 2). She earned six All-America honors in her career, four in singles and two in doubles. She posted a 95-19 career singles record and 77-33 in doubles.
Jokic was a finalist for the 2019 award won by Perez-Somarriba. There were no spring sport award winners in 2020 due to the cancellation of competition and championships by conferences and the NCAA because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The Honda Sport Award has been presented annually by the CWSA for the past 45 years to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA- sanctioned sports and signifies “the best of the best in collegiate athletics.” The winner of the sport award becomes a finalist for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and the prestigious 2021 Honda Cup which will be presented during a telecast on CBS Sports Network, on June 28th, at 9 pm ET.
The CWSA, celebrating its 45th anniversary year, has honored the nation’s top NCAA women athletes for their superior athletic skills, leadership, academic excellence and eagerness to participate in community service. Since commencing its partnership in 1986, Honda has provided more than $3.4 million in institutional grants to the universities of the award winners and nominees to support women’s athletics programs.