Women’s Soccer’s Tori Doss Named Finalist for the Wooden Citizenship Cup

ATLANTA – Xavier women's soccer senior forward Tori Doss has been named a finalist for the 13th Annual Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup, presented by Athletes for a Better World. The award, named for former UCLA men's basketball head coach John Wooden, is given to the most outstanding role models among athletes. The professional, collegiate, and high school honorees will be celebrated at the 2017 award ceremony to be held April 11 at Atlanta's Cobb Galleria.

"Tori is the embodiment of a true leader, on and off the field," said Greg Christopher, Xavier Director of Athletics. "Her accomplishments in the classroom, as well as on campus and in the community are second to none. Even with her challenging academic pursuits and extensive service, her commitment to her team and athletic excellence has never wavered. We're excited Tori is being honored as a finalist for the Wooden Citizenship Cup, she is truly deserving of such recognition."

Doss, a native of Indianapolis, earned the distinction of finalist by distinguishing herself among the nominees with her commitment to bettering herself, and those around her, in the classroom, in the community and on the field.

As a double-major, pursing degrees in both Chemistry and Biology, Doss excelled in the classroom. Through seven semesters of course work, Doss' cumulative grade point average stands at 3.991. Her qualifications, both as a student and a person, have merited acceptance to medical school.

In the community, beyond her extensive work as a leader within Xavier's Student Athlete Advisory Board (SAAC) to establish and execute service projects, Doss has also shown a personal commitment to the advancement of STEM education for underserved students. This dedication was punctuated by a 10-week commitment to mentoring and tutoring academically capable and motivated children with unstable home lives Boys Hope Girls Hope Cincinnati during the summer of 2014.

As an athlete, Doss was a member of the first class of Xavier student-athletes to compete in the BIG EAST Conference, and despite her off-the-field commitments, she excelled from the start. A starter in 35 of the first 37 matches of her career, Doss led the Musketeer in points in her first two seasons at Xavier.

As a junior, Doss was en route to a similarly prolific season, collecting six points on two goals and two assists in just the first two matches of the 2015 season, before injury limited her to less than 60 minutes for the remainder of the season.

Instead of allowing an injury to be a setback, Doss used it as an opportunity to grow through adversity. Her commitment to the team and to bettering herself remained strong, and as a senior she returned to the pitch.

Doss started the first six matches of 2016, scoring a pair of game-winners in non-conference play before again suffering an injury. Despite playing with a heavily wrapped wrist, Doss finished her senior season second on the team in goals and third in points scored.

The other collegiate finalists are Melissa Berkay, a swimmer from Mills College, Oren Burks, a football player from Vanderbilt University, and Joseph Spencer, a football player from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

ESPN broadcaster Dick Vitale is the professional recipient and Erin Houchins (Bowling Green, Kentucky) and Ian Saum (Casselton, North Dakota) are the high school recipients for 2017.

ABOUT THE WOODEN CUP

Founded by Athletes for a Better World (ABW), a non-profit organization committed to changing the culture of American sports, the Wooden Cup is unique in that it is open to athletes in all collegiate and Olympic or professional sports and, for the first time this year, to high school athletes.

Nominations are open to every division and conference in college sports and to athletes in public and private high schools across the country in a new partnership with the National Association of High School Athletic Administrators.

The Wooden Cup is named for John Wooden, who won ten national championships during the years 1964--1975 as basketball coach at UCLA and is considered one of college sports' greatest coaches. But it was Wooden's emphasis on character development in his players and his dedication to community service that drew ABW's attention.

"John Wooden is universally regarded as one of the finest human beings to ever grace the world of sports, and his character, conduct and selfless gifts stand at the highest level by any standard," said Fred Northup, ABW President.

When Coach Wooden learned about Athletes for a Better World, he authorized ABW to attach his name to this annual award, and Coach Wooden attended and addressed the inaugural event in Los Angeles in 2005. In his honor, the Wooden Cup has been presented to two distinguished athletes, one collegiate and one professional or Olympic, for character and leadership both on and off the field and for contributions to sport and society.

The Wooden Cup is becoming one of the most prestigious awards in all of sports. Previous professional recipients include Jack Nicklaus, Pat Summitt, Dikembe Mutombo, Drew Brees, Mia Hamm, Peyton Manning, John Smoltz, John Lynch, Andrea Yaeger, Shannon Miller and Cal Ripken, Jr. Recipients of the Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup are determined by the Wooden Cup Selection Committee after reviewing voting by the Board of Directors and over 100 distinguished individuals involved in athletics across the country.

This year, the Wooden Cup, in partnership with the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association, will inaugurate a high school division of the Cup.

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