Sept. 22, 2008
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Senior All-America forward and Hermann Trophy candidate Kerri Hanks (Allen, Texas/Allen) added two more weekly awards to ever-expanding resume on Monday afternoon, earning a place on both the Top Drawer Soccer National Team of the Week and the BIG EAST Conference Weekly Honor Roll. It’s the second time this season Hanks has made the TDS squad (she was that outlet’s National Player of the Week on Sept. 1) and the third time this year that she has been tapped for the conference honor roll.
Hanks continues to blaze new trails through the Notre Dame and NCAA record books, reaching five career milestones in two games last weekend. On Friday at DePaul, the veteran striker scored the game’s only goal in the 78th minute, lifting the top-ranked Irish to a victory in their BIG EAST opener. That single tally wound up pushing Hanks to four career landmarks — the 70-goal, 60-assist club (fourth in NCAA Division I history), the 200-point club (18th in Division I annals), 57 gamewinning points (breaking Katie Thorlakson’s school record) and 19 gamewinning goals (tying the school mark jointly held by Jenny Heft and Michelle McCarthy).
Two days later at No. 17/16 Penn State, Hanks potted another goal as the second of two Irish scores in a 123-second span, lifting Notre Dame to a 3-1 road win over the Nittany Lions. The goal was Hanks’ school-record 20th career gamewinning tally, breaking a 48-hour tie with Heft and McCarthy in that category.
For the season, Hanks leads the Irish in goals (7) and points (16), ranking among the BIG EAST leaders in both statistics. She also has 202 points (71 goals and 60 assists) in her brilliant career, tying for 17th place in Division I history with William & Mary’s Missy Wycinsky.
One of only four remaining unbeaten and untied teams in the country, No. 1 Notre Dame (8-0) will be back in action Friday at 7:30 p.m. (ET) when it welcomes Louisville to town for a BIG EAST match at Alumni Field. Tickets for this, and all remaining Irish regular-season home matches, may be purchased through the Notre Dame Athletics Ticket Office (574-631-7356; located on the second floor of the Joyce Center via Gate 1), on-line through the official Irish athletics web site (www.UND.com) or at the Alumni Field ticket windows on game night.
— ND —