STANFORD, Calif. - Naomi Girma is one of 30 candidates for the 2021 Senior CLASS Award for women's soccer, as announced Thursday.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
The native of San Jose, Calif. was previously named one of 59 NCAA Women's Division I college soccer players in the running for the 2021 Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy Watch List - the nation's highest individual honor recognizing the nation's National Player of the Year.
Girma, the 2019 Pac-12 Defender of the Year, missed the 2020-21 season due to injury. The 2020 U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year was a 2019 All-America first team selection and earned College Cup Most Outstanding Defensive Player honors after helping to guide Stanford to the national title in 2019.
So far this year, Girma has started all nine matches for the Cardinal while anchoring a Stanford defense that has posted six shutouts and allowed just five goals (.56 goals per game). The three-time team captain also has one goal to her name in 2021 – netting her first of the season at No. 5 Duke.
Off the pitch, Girma volunteers with Soccer Without Borders, whose mission is to use soccer as a vehicle for positive change. They provide under-served youth with a toolkit to overcome obstacles for growth, inclusion, and personal success.
Additionally, Girma has volunteered with Stanford's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee's annual A, B, Trees event while serving as a member of the Faculty Relations. It aims to promote literacy in the Bay Area.
Recently, Girma has also worked with Curious Cardinals, a startup created by students at Stanford. They provide guidance to high school students about what it's like and how to be a successful college student-athlete.
The Senior CLASS candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists later in the season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one male candidate and one female candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character, and competition.
The Cardinal has landed six prior players on the finalist lists – most recently Alana Cook in 2018. Andi Sullivan is the lone Cardinal to win the Senior CLASS Award, capturing the honor in 2017.
Stanford men's soccer player Zach Ryan is a candidate for the men's award.
The Senior CLASS Award winners will be announced during the 2021 NCAA Men's and Women's College Cup® championships in December.
2021 Senior CLASS Award Women's Soccer Candidates
Murphy Agnew, Harvard
Joelle Anderson, Pepperdine
Marcy Barberic, Buffalo
Natalie Beckman, Denver
Jordan Brewster, West Virginia
Gabby Carle, Florida State
Maia Cella, Wisconsin
Mikayla Colohan, BYU
Naomi Girma, Stanford
Isabella Gutierrez, Furman
Sydney Harwood, Manhattan
Nicole Henry, Northwestern State
Penelope Hocking, USC
Samantha Jerabek, VCU
Sarina Jones, Monmouth
Alex Loera, Santa Clara
Dunja Mostarac, UMass Lowell
Gabby Provenzano, Rutgers
Taryn Ries, Portland
Izzy Rodriguez, Ohio State
Mijke Roelfsema, Rice
Karlina Sample, Texas A&M
Gaby Schwartz, Milwaukee
Emily Smith, California
Sarah Sodoma, Arkansas State
Mimi Stines, Northern Kentucky
Abby Swanson, Loyola Chicago
Frankie Tagliaferri, Rutgers
Victoria Tran, US Naval Academy
Kelsey Turnbow, Santa Clara
