Hermosa Beach’s Own is Sportswoman of the Year

Hermosa Beach’s Abby Wambach is The Associated Press’ Sportswoman of the Year after leading the U.S. to last summer’s Women’s World Cup title game. Wambach is the first individual soccer player — man or woman — to win one of the AP’s annual sports awards, which began in 1931. Her inspirational leadership and goal scoring helped the Americans to the cusp of the World Cup championship this past summer, capturing the hearts and minds of the American public along the way during the team’s dramatic run in Germany. Wambach’s clutch performance at this summer’s World Cup made her the clear choice as the female athlete of the year, as selected by members of the AP. The U.S. forward received 65 of the 214 votes cast, while teammate Hope Solo (38) was a distant second and former UConn basketball star Maya Moore (35) was third.