Shaw Named NCAS PlayMaker of the Month

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas A&M senior midfielder Sarah Shaw been awarded the NCAS PlayMaker of the Month for November in honor of her academic achievement and community service efforts, the National Consortium for Academics & Sports (NCAS) announced.
 
A four-year letterwinner, Shaw recently had her a non-profit organization she founded, Goals for Bowls, certified by the state of Texas. The charitable organization will donate soccer balls and meals to children in Nepal and Ghana. She has provided mission work in Nepal and through her work with Build International Ministries, she co-founded a soccer club for underprivileged children, referred to as "Sarah's Soccer Club."
 
Outstanding in the area of community service, Shaw was named to the SEC Soccer Community Service Team in both 2015 and 2016. She has logged over 750 hours as a volunteer at the Community Enrichment Center's Food Pantry and spent a summer as a community ministries intern. Shaw had conducted extensive research covering over a dozen food pantries in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and aided in the improvement of distribution procedures, layout efficiency and enhanced inventory practices.
 
She is an active volunteer in the local Worlds Changers charity assisting with 16 local properties in need of repair and is also an active volunteer with "African Moons" helping to collect and donate books and sports equipment for children in Tanzania.  Finally, with her soccer teammates, she has served as one of the Aggies' ambassadors on visits to the Texas Children's Hospital, participated in numerous youth soccer clinics in the Bryan-College Station area, and helped to raise money and collect canned goods as part of SAAC's Aggies CAN initiative.
 
Most recently, Shaw was selected to participate in the first SEC Corporate Career Tour in Atlanta.
 
During her career, Shaw appeared in 29 matches, including six starts. She scored two goals in 2016, including the game-winner in Texas A&M's 1-0 victory against Georgia. In 2015, Shaw notched the decisive penalty kick in a shootout against Ole Miss to send the Aggies to the NCAA Championship quarterfinal.
 
Shaw is seeking a degree in Management with a minor in Economics, and her emphasis is in Nonprofit Management. She is carrying a 3.684 grade point average.
 
The Aggies have dominated the award since it was initiated in the 2014-15 school year with Shaw becoming the sixth recipient. Past Texas A&M winners include Angela Lowak (Volleyball - November '14), Kellie Benjamin (Swimming & Diving - March '15), Karlie Mueller (Soccer - November '15), Tera Bradham (Swimming & Diving - March '16) and Wade Karam (Track & Field - April '16).
 
Current student-athletes are nominated by their coaches, administrators, and teammates, they must carry a 3.0 grade point average, and they must be active participants in community/volunteer services and/or social change advocacy.
 
For more information about the NCAS PlayMaker of the Month Award or to nominate a student-athlete for a PlayMaker of the Month Award, visit the NCAS website at www.ncasports.org/services/playmakers-of-the-month.