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Sports in brief: Former Gator Wambach named Female Athlete of Year (St. Petersburg Times)
**Times wires**
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
**soccer**
wambach named athlete of year
Abby Wambach, whose thunderous header in the final seconds of the World Cup
quarterfinal led the United States to an improbable victory and sparked a
nationwide frenzy, was voted the 2011 Female Athlete of the Year.
Wambach, a 31-year-old forward, received 65 of the 214 votes cast by members
of the Associated Press. Teammate **Hope Solo **(38 votes) was second and
UConn basketball player **Maya Moore **(35) third.
Wambach, a former Gator, is the first individual soccer player — man or woman
– to win one of the AP’s annual athlete awards, which began in 1931. The U.S.
women’s team won in 1999.
“We, as a team, did something that no team since **Mia Hamm **was able to do,”
Wambach said. “Even the team that won the (Olympic) gold medal in 2008 wasn’t
able to inspire and get people excited about women’s soccer. It goes to show
you the impact drama can bring.”
**troubled player banned for racial slur:** Liverpool striker **Luis
Suarez**’s troubled disciplinary history hit a new low when he was given an
eight-match ban for racially abusing Manchester United defender **Patrice Evra
**during a Premier …