Oct. 1, 1999

Notre Dame senior All-American women?s soccer players LaKeysia Beene, Jen Grubb and Jenny Streiffer and junior All-American Anne Makinen have been named four of the 15 finalists for the ninth annual Missouri Athletic Club Sports Foundation Collegiate Player of the Year award. Notre Dame leads all schools with four players among the finalists, while North Carolina, with two players, is the only other school with more than one finalist. With Seton Hall?s Kelly Smith and Connecticut?s Mary-Frances Monroe also among the finalists, the BIG EAST Conference accounts for more finalists with six than any other conference.

The winner will be selected in balloting by NSCAA member coaches from NCAA division I teams. She will be honored at an awards banquet at the Missouri Athletic Club on Fri., Jan. 7, 2000 and at the NSCAA convention in January in Baltimore. The 15 finalists were selected in a vote of the coaches of the top 20 teams in the NSCAA preseason rankings.

Beene, Grubb, Makinen and Streiffer will be looking to become Notre Dame?s first winner of the M.A.C. award of the since former Irish All-American Cindy Daws was selected as the recipient following the 1996 season. Beene, Grubb and Streiffer also were finalists for the 1998 award, while Grubb and Streiffer were finalists as sophomores in 1997. Beene, Streiffer and Makinen also were named finalists for the 1999 Hermann Trophy, the other major national-player-of-the-year award presented to college soccer players.

Missouri Athletic Club Sports Foundation Collegiate Player of the Year Award Finalists LaKeysia Beene, Notre Dame

Mandy Clemens, Santa Clara

Lorrie Fair, North Carolina

Jen Grubb, Notre Dame

Angela Hucles, Virginia

Beth Keller, Clemson

Kristin Luckenbill, Dartmouth

Anne Makinen, Notre Dame

Rebecca McDowell, North Carolina

Heather Mitts, Florida

Mary-Frances Monroe, Connecticut

Isabelle Morneau, Nebraska

Kelly Smith, Seton Hall

Jenny Streiffer, Notre Dame

Missy Wycinsky, William & Mary