Votes from college teams and from players and fans from around the country have finalized the five finalist for the MA Sorensen Award.

The 2019 MA Sorensen Award Finalists are (photos in order of player, photo credit below):

McKenzie Hawkins, Lindenwood. A top student as well as the Lions’ flyhalf, Hawkins won the award in 2018, and was later capped by the USA. She helped lead Lindenwood to a D1A Elite title this spring.

Emily Henrich, Dartmouth. A freshman, Henrich earned her first USA cap in the fall. She plays center and was a big part of Dartmouth’s NIRA title run in the fall.

AnnaKaren Pedraza, Lindenwood. The Lindenwood scrumhalf has enjoyed a superb season, combining her fitness and field vision on attack with an aggressive persona on defense.

Kat Ramage, Dartmouth. The senior scrumhalf has been one of the top players in the nation among her peers since high school, and is a superb leader.

Megan Rom, Life. Rom plays prop and hooker and has already earned her first USA 15s cap. An imposing figure on the field she has dominated forward play this season.

Given annually to the top women’s college player in the country, the MA Sorensen Award is sponsored by the Washington Athletic Club in Seattle, WA and has been presented each of the last three years. The award is named for MaryAnn Sorensen, a trailblazing prop for William & Mary and then for the USA. She was a huge part of the USA's 1991 Women's Rugby World Cup win, and has continued to excel as a player, coach, and doctor. MA Sorensen has been on hand each of the last three years to present the award named in her honor.

Hope Rogers (Penn State), Ilona Maher (Quinnipiac), and McKenzie Hawkins (Lindenwood) are the three previous winners. All have since been capped by the USA in 15s or sevens or, in the case of Rogers, both.

A panel of coaching and college rugby experts, along with input from fans, created a list of 15 nominees, and that list was then voted on in two ways—fans could vote in one poll, and college team representatives (coaches, directors, or captains) could vote in the other. Each poll carried equal weight.

The top popular vote-getter, and top expert vote-getter, and the next three best combined vote-getters made the finalist list.

The winner will be announced in a couple of weeks after the nomination panel has voted. The winner will then receive the award on June 8 at a gala event at the Washington Athletic Club in Seattle.

Photos: Colleen McCloskey, Diane Ramage, Colleen McCloskey, Dartmouth Athletics, Life Athletics.