Dec. 18, 2006

BERKELEY, Calif. - California senior Anna Key has been selected as one of six finalists for the Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup, which is presented annually to one intercollegiate and one professional that best display character, teamwork, and citizenship, the attributes Athletes for a Better World deems central to transforming individuals, sport and society.

The award, which will be presented for the third time, will be announced Jan. 25, 2007, at a banquet at the Ansley Golf Club in Atlanta, Ga. All six collegiate finalists will be in attendance.

The Coach Wooden Cup, which is selected by the organization Athletes for a Better World, establishes the recipients as athletes of excellence both on and off the field, role models both as performers and persons - the most important and distinctive honor athletes can achieve. John Wooden, the legendary UCLA men's basketball coach and a positive role model, has given the ABW permission to present an award in his name.

Key, who completed her eligibility this fall as a goalkeeper on the Golden Bears' nationally-ranked women's soccer team, was named the 2006 NCAA Division I Female Sportsmanship Award winner by the NCAA Committee on Sportsmanship and Ethical Conduct (CSEC). The Oakland product was also chosen as the co-recipient of the 2005-06 Pac-10 Sportsmanship Award.

Key earned the honors by being a positive influence on her teammates and for her philanthropic work to raise money for the impoverished country of Malawi in Africa. A peace and conflict studies major, Key traveled to Malawi in May 2005 to promote the importance of staying in school and playing sports. She also brought gear donations from the Cal men's and women's soccer teams. During her stay, she volunteered at an orphan care center which supports villages in Malawi, housing upwards of 900 children who have been orphaned by AIDS or poverty. Through her leadership, the Cal Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) is looking to raise funds for sports programs in Malawi.

Key also met with soccer officials and the women's national soccer team in Malawi to discuss ways to develop the struggling program and to deliver used Cal soccer uniforms and equipment.

Since Key's three-week stay in Africa, she has been determined to raise money for Malawi and their national soccer teams by launching her own organization - Malawi Youth Project - which works in alliance with Amnesty International. The goal of the Malawi Youth Project is to inspire kids across the country to get involved in assisting the youth of Malawi. Specifically, the project's objectives are to raise money for the Amai Achifundo Orphan Center in Blantyre North and to gather soccer equipment and additional funds for the Malawi Football Association to develop women's soccer throughout the country. The project aims at developing structures within the orphan center and within the Malawi Football Association that enable the leaders of such programs to create self-sustaining, flourishing organizations that will support the youth of Malawi.

During the summer of 2006, Key worked on two projects as an intern in the Western Regional office for Amnesty International - a campaign to stop the illegal international arms race and a San Francisco screening of a documentary on the AIDS epidemic in Africa.

After graduation, Key will teach at a New York City elementary school this fall as part of the Teach for America program.

Here are brief sketches (in alphabetical order) of the other collegiate finalists for the Wooden Cup:

Kandi Batchelor, junior sprinter
Track and Field, Florida State
- Volunteer at R. Frank Nims Middle School after-school program - Black history month volunteer - Involved with Boys and Girls Club - Collected donations for Hurricane Katrina Relief effort

Parker Dalton, senior infielder
Baseball, Texas A&M
- As president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, organized Aggie student-athletes to meet and greet Tulane student-athletes that attended school at Texas A&M after Hurricane Katrina - Helped with a Toys for Tots drive which collected approximately 1700 toys for distribution, helped collect 150,000 canned goods and $3,000 for hurricane relief and helped gather hundreds of coats for a local mission - 2006 NCAA Division I Sportsmanship award winner

Ryan Hotchkiss, senior punter
Football, UTEP
- Ambassador for the Child Crisis Center for the last two years, dedicating his time volunteering with children, tutoring and providing them with his allotment of tickets for football games - Has logged over 2000+ hours over the last two years with the Crisis Center - Big Brother of two children, ages nine and 10, through the Big Brother, Big Sister program

Eric Leroux, senior goalie
Men's Ice Hockey, Princeton
- Completed an internship in HIV/AIDS clinic in Kenya during the summer of 2005 - Lived in a mud hut with no running water or electricity in a rural village for 10 weeks - HIV counselor and educator in village of Tiwi - During the summer of 2004, interned with Child Family Health International in Ecuador

Carl Pendelton, junior defensive tackle
Football, Oklahoma
- Became the legal guardian for his younger brother while at Oklahoma - Supports his younger brother with his scholarship money and with the child support their father pays - Mentor to a fourth-grader at a nearby elementary school - Received an $18,000 scholar-athlete post-graduate scholarship from the NFL Foundation and the College Hall of Fame