Jamaican Khadija “Bunny” Shaw, star striker for the Reggae Girlz soccer team, was named “Athlete of the Year” by the University of Tennessee (UT) at the 13th annual Volscans award ceremony on April 22, 2019, which was held at the Knoxville Convention Center. Shaw has become an international superstar since leading the Reggae Girlz, Jamaica’s national women’s football team, to its historic first-time qualification for the FIFA Women’s World Cup in France. At UT, Shaw led the Lady Vols scoring with 13 goals and six assists during her senior season. She earned the titles of Second Team All-America, First Team All-Region, SEC Offensive Player of the Year and First Team All-SEC. During two seasons at UT, Shaw finished her career as the university’s all-time leader in goals-per-game and points-per-game. In addition, she led UT to an Elite Eight appearance, which was the team’s best performance in the NCAA Tournament in the program’s history.

Khadija Monifa “Bunny” Shaw was born in Spanish Town, Jamaica, on January 31, 1997. Her international career includes playing the under 15, under 17, under 20 and senior levels for Jamaica, beginning her play at the age of 14 when she made her debut with the senior women’s national team on August 23, 2015, against the Dominican Republic. Before coming to UT, Shaw attended Eastern Florida State College. Shaw was named The Guardian Footballer of the Year of 2018i by The Guardian newspaper n the United Kingdom. This award recognizes a player “who has done something truly remarkable, whether by overcoming adversity, helping others or setting a sporting example by acting with exceptional honesty.” References

The awards ceremony honored student-athletes and coaches from all sports along with athletic personnel and support staff. The awards portion of the evening highlighted the nominees and the winners in each category, which ranged from Comeback of the Year to Male and Female Athletes of the Year.

Information and Photo Source: University of Tennessee (UT) , Wikipedia