Honors and Awards
- NSCAA/Umbro Second-Team All-Central Region (1996)
- Second-Team All-Big 12 Conference (1996)
- Nebraska Team Spirit Award (1996)
- Nebraska Top Goal Scorer Award (1995)
- Nebraska Aerial Power Award (1998)
1998 Season
Senior Kristen Gay was one of only seven Huskers to start all 22 games in the 1998 season. She recorded four goals, including a game-winner versus Missouri, and a game-winning assist versus Kansas.
She finished her career as Nebraska's all-time leader in games played (86) and games started (80), including 76 consecutive starts. Gay's offensive prowess did not go unnoticed either. She finished fourth on Nebraska's all-time points scored list with 59 and fourth on the goals scored list with 23. She earned the Aerial Power Award for the Husker Player Awards.
1997 Season
Gay performed consistently throughout the season in the Husker midfield, starting all 22 games while finishing with nine points on two goals and five assists. Her nine points tied Isabelle Morneau for seventh among the Huskers, and her four assists tied Sandy Smith for seventh on the squad. She scored goals against DePaul and San Diego.
She posted two assists in the Huskers' 5-0 win at No. 4 Duke and added an assist in the NCAA Tournament win over No. 15 Michigan. She recorded her first assist of the year against San Diego. Gay helped the Huskers to an 18-4 overall record and a trip to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
1996 Season
Gay finished the season as Nebraska's fifth-leading point-getter with 24 points on nine goals and six assists in 1996. She earned NSCAA/Umbro Second-Team All-Central Region and second-team All-Big 12 Conference honors. She also claimed the Husker Team Spirit Award. The native Texan was tough on Texas teams in 1996. She recorded the game-winning assist in the Huskers' 1-0 win over Texas, and posted another game-winning assist in Nebraska's 1-0 win over No. 6 Texas A&M.
She also scored the game-winning goal in the Huskers' 2-0 win over Southern Methodist in the finals of the SMU Puma Classic. Gay opened her sophomore season by scoring two goals and adding the game-winning assist in an 8-0 win over Oklahoma. She scored two more goals in a 6-0 victory at Iowa State.
1995 Season
Although she was only a freshman, Gay was a leader for the Huskers during 1995. She was Nebraska's top scorer with eight goals and second-leading point-getter with 18 points. She scored game-winning goals in a 4-0 win over Iowa State, and a 2-0 win overy Brigham Young. She recorded two-goal performances against Iowa State, and Northwestern. She added a goal and an assist in a 3-2 win over Texas.
High School
Gay played just one year of soccer for Liz Thorne at Naaman Forest but earned first-team all-district honors and was named the team's most valuable player her senior season. She also lettered four years in volleyball, three in basketball and one in softball. She earned second-team all-district honors in volleyball and basketball as a senior and was an honorable-mention selection in those two sports as a junior. A Texas Scholar, Gay graduated with advanced honors.
Other Information
During the summer of 1995, Gay was selected as a member of the South Region Under-19 team. Gay spent eight years playing for the Dallas Sting from 1988 to 1995 and was a team co-captain. In 1994, Gay helped the Sting Under-17 team to the state and Region III championships and a fourth-place finish at nationals. In 1989 and 1990, Gay's Under-14 club team won back-to-back state and Region III titles. Gay has served as a volunteer for Special Olympics and the Children's Cancer Foundation.
Personal Information
The daughter of John and Cheryl Gay, Kristen has a sister, Tracey, 18. Kristen majored in physical therapy. She was born March 11, 1977.