She’s a three-time CCAA Offensive Player of the Year, three-time Daktronics West Region Player of the Year, four-time All-American, and the 2013 NCAA Division II Women’s Soccer Player of the Year. She’s led the women’s soccer team of California State University, Stanislaus to two CCAA Championships and is currently considered to be the program’s best player—ever.
Karenee Demery has accomplished a lot during her stint as a forward for CSUS. But while her playing days for the Warriors are over, Demery is far from finished receiving accolades.
Nearly a year after helping the Warriors post an undefeated regular season en route to their second CCAA Championship in three years, Demery has been named a candidate for NCAA Woman of the Year. With more than 120 NCAA female student-athletes representing multiple sports across many divisions, Demery finds herself as one of 25 honorees representing Division II conferences.
In addition to Demery and her Division II peers, the Woman of the Year selection committee will also be evaluating 52 honorees from Division I conferences and 49 honorees from Division III conferences. The committee will next select the top 10 candidates from each division with the overall top 30 being announced in September. The selection committee will then choose and announce the top nine finalists (three from each division) at the end of September, with the 2014 NCAA Woman of the Year being announced at the annual ceremony in Indianapolis on Oct. 19.
Demery joins Verena Preikschas as Warriors who have been nominated for the award. Preikschas, an All-American tennis player, was nominated in 2012 and finished as a top nine finalist.
Demery finished her senior season at CSUS by leading all of Division II with 52 points and coming in as second-best in the NCAA with 21 goals and 10 assists. She was the first soccer player since 2000-01 to be named CCAA Female Athlete of the Year and the first athlete from CSUS to receive the honor.