Alders Earns Prestigious Award
3/7/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
March 7, 2006
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack soccer player Amanda Alders was named University Athlete of the Year at last week's Christian Athlete of the Year Awards in Irving. The annual awards ceremony, sponsored by Lay Witnesses for Christ International, is focused on recognizing Christian athletes from across the state high school ranks. Alders' University Athlete of the Year honor was one of six special awards presented in conjunction with the featured male and female Christian Athlete of the Year winners.
Alders put up some impressive numbers in her first season as a Ladyjack to earn the award. She tied the school record for goals in a single season with 15. More impressive still, Alders didn't score a goal until the seventh game of the year, so her record-tying total was compiled in just 12 games. She scored at least one goal in 11 straight contests for the Ladyjacks, who won the Southland Conference championship.
"It's just a testament to the kind of student-athlete we have within our soccer program," SFA head coach Jaime Frias said. "They are heavily involved with other groups outside of soccer and within the community. We're very proud of Amanda Alders being recognized as the top university Christian athlete in the state of Texas."
The awards ceremony was the 17th in a row put on by Lay Witnesses for Christ International, a ministry begun in Fort Worth in 1976 by Sam Mings and his family. Starting with a trip to the NCAA track and field championships in 1981, Lay Witnesses developed a partnership with athletics that has allowed the ministry to grow over the years. Mings and his fellow evangelists have since presented their message at more than 40 major sporting events, including the Olympics, the NCAA Championships and the World Cup. The ministry has reached hundreds of world-class athletes, and, through them, tens of thousands of fans, according to a program from last week's ceremonies.
Former members and spokesmen for the ministry include the late Reggie White, who was a Hall of Fame defensive linemen in the National Football League. Last week's awards were presented by nine-time Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis, a long-time partner in Ming's ministry.
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