National Player of the Year Olivia Clemons speeds past a Wilmington College defender in an NCAA Tournament game this season. (Jonah Glass | Staff Photographer)

After leading the WashU women’s soccer team to a second consecutive national championship, sophomore forward Olivia Clemons was named the United Soccer Coaches Division III National Player of the Year on Dec. 16. She was also named a finalist for the D-III Honda Athlete of the Year award, awarded to the best female athlete across D-III, on Jan. 6. 

“I’m grateful for this recognition and proud of my team for all of our accomplishments this season,” Clemons wrote in a statement in a WashU Athletics press release. 

Clemons’ national award is the culmination of a highly decorated individual season. The striker from Kansas City was named a United Soccer Coaches first-team All-American, was named to the All-Tournament team for D-III women’s soccer, and won the University Athletic Association (UAA) Offensive Player of the Year award for the second consecutive year. 

Clemons broke out in her first collegiate season. Her 22 goals were more than any other first-year in program history, despite coming off the bench in every game. She scored in the national championship game against William Smith College and was named the Most Outstanding Offensive Player of the NCAA tournament. Clemons was named UAA Rookie of the Year in 2024, the sixth WashU player to receive that honor in program history and the first since Sidney Conner in 2021.  

As a sophomore, Clemons was a star once again. She led the Bears with 17 goals and tied for the third-most assists on the roster. Through two seasons with WashU, Clemons has scored 39 goals. Though she is only a sophomore, Clemons is already the eighth-leading scorer in WashU women’s soccer history. As a member of the sophomore class, which has led WashU to two consecutive national championships, Clemons has never lost a game as a member of the WashU women’s soccer team. 

“Olivia is a player with special gifts, but her greatest gift is her selflessness,” women’s soccer head coach Jim Conlon wrote in a statement to Student Life. “She is an unbelievable teammate as well as an unbelievable soccer player that can score goals and create chances for her teammates.”

WashU athletes have won the D-III Honda Athlete of the Year award five times, most recently when women’s soccer goalkeeper Lizzy Crist won the 2017 award. Clemons will attempt to be the sixth WashU honoree and the second from the women’s soccer team. 

The Honda Athlete of the Year will be selected on July 27 at 6 p.m. CST, and the selection show will be broadcast on the CBS Sports Network.