By Aaron Castrejon
BroncoAthletics.com
QUEBEC CITY, Quebec - On April 12, Quebec honored Cal Poly Pomona women's soccer head coach Isabelle Harvey as the region's "Athlete of the Century."
Association Régionale Soccer Québec distinguished Harvey with the Centennial Medal as one of five leading figures to influence the development of soccer in the region, with Harvey being recognized as a player.
“I was definitely surprised,” Harvey said. “To have this honor, it was just great.”
The honor is part of a bigger celebration commemorating 100 years of the Quebec Soccer Federation and its impact on Canada.
As a soccer player at USC, Harvey became the only student-athlete in program history to receive All-American recognition four years (1996-2000). She was named Most Valuable Player three times and broke school records with 20 goals, 51 points and 11 assists.
Harvey also played on the Canadian National Team in 1999 during the Women's World Cup and played in the National Tournament in China during 2004.
“When you work hard, it pays off,” Harvey said. “When you look back, you know you've done everything you could.”
Harvey's coach from USC, Jim Millinger, couldn't be prouder.
“She's accomplished everything she has because of her drive,” Millinger said. “The demand she puts upon herself is really incredible. She's a competitor.”
Harvey said that it is her hard work that truly pays off in the end.
“For me it was always to do the best that I could do,” Harvey said. “That's the way I trained and that's the way I played and that's definitely something I want to instill in my players. Practice hard and you will play hard.”
