Abby Wambach Named Female Athlete of the Year [Video]

Abby Wambach has just been named the female athlete of the year by the Associated Press. Wambach’s clutch performance during last Summer’s World Cup made her an easy choice for the award.

According to ESPN, Wambach collected 65 of the 214 votes cast. Her teammate, Hope Solo, had the second most votes with 38.

Wambach, who is the first Soccer player to win the award, said:

“When you’re involved in team sports, the focus has never been on one person. This is quite humbling. I don’t take this for granted and I love the honor, but you must put the team first, otherwise these awards don’t happen.”

Wambach has appeared in three World Cups and has scored a total of 13 goals on the world stage. Wambach has the most goals at the World Cup of any American female soccer play, and is third on the all-time career goals list with 125. Mia Hamm and Kristine Lilly are the only two players who have scored more goals.

Wambach said:

“When I got into this game, I wanted to be as good as Mia or Kristine. They paved the way for me. And they have some very big shoes to fill. So I can sit here and say I’m a great finisher to win this award, but someone had to get me the ball. The coaches had to put us in position. It’s especially gratifying to win because it’s been six months since we played those games and we’re still making waves.”

Here’s a look at the USA vs. Brazil game from this year’s World Cup.

Do you think Abby Wambach deserved the female athlete of the year award?