Honors and Awards
- First-Team Academic All-Big 12 Conference (1999, 2000, 2001)
- Verizon Second-Team All-American (2001)
- Verizon Academic All-District VII (2001)
- Canadian National Team Member (1998)
- Canadian Under-21 National Team Member (1997, 1998, 1999, 2001)
- Big 12 Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll (Fall 1998, Spring 1999, Fall 1999, Spring 2000, Fall 2000, Spring 2001, Fall 2001, Spring 2002)
2001 Season
Shannon Tanaka (pronounced tuh-NAH-kuh), who started each of the Huskers' last 72 games, scored the game-winning goal at Texas A&M and posted assists against Oklahoma and Texas Tech. She added a goal in the NCAA Tournament versus BYU.
Through her career, Tanaka scored 38 points on 12 goals and 14 assists.
Tanaka was rewarded for her career in the classroom, by being named a Verizon Second-Team Academic All-American in 2001, as well as a Verizon Academic All-District VII member.
She is third on the Nebraska career games played list with 93 games in her four years as a Husker.
2000 Season
Tanaka was a solid force in the midfield for the Huskers, scoring 12 points on three goals and six assists. She ranked sixth on the team in assists.
Seven of Tanaka's 12 points came in conference action. Two of her three goals came against league foes, including scoring shots against Kansas and Colorado. Her other goal came in the Huskers' season opener at Minnesota.
Tanaka started every game for the Huskers, upping her streak to 49 consecutive starts.
She was named first team academic All-Big 12 Conference for her outstanding work in the classroom.
1999 Season
Tanaka was one of Nebraska's top players in the midfield, starting all 25 games while amassing 19 points on seven goals and five assists. Tanaka tied with Jenny Benson for second on the team with three game-winning goals, which came against Tulsa, Colorado and Texas Tech in the Big 12 Tournament. Tanaka's game-winner against Tulsa was her first career goal, and she followed it with another goal to produce her only two-goal game.
Tanaka enjoyed a strong postseason, scoring two goals in the Big 12 Tournament and a goal in Nebraska's 5-0 win over Minnesota in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
A stellar student, Tanaka earned first-team academic All-Big 12 honors.
1998 Season
Tanaka served as one of Nebraska's top reserves as a true freshman, appearing in 21 games and finishing with one point. She posted the first assist of her career in NU's 7-0 win over Southwest Missouri State.
The only game that Tanaka missed during the season was the Huskers' win at Iowa State, because of a concussion she suffered after bashing heads with Isabelle Morneau the previous game.
Along with her performance on the field, Tanaka had an excellent year in the classroom, earning a spot on the Big 12 Academic Honor Roll.
High School
Tanaka attended Herny Wise Wood High School in Calgary, but the school did not sponsor a girls' soccer team. She earned three letters in field hockey and volleyball and two letters in basketball. She was Henry Wise Wood's Athlete of the Year and field hockey team's MVP.
Other Information
Tanaka has spent time with both the Canadian National and Under-21 National teams. She participated in Canadian Under-20 National Team camps in 1997, 1998 and 1999 and played for the Under-20 squad at the Pan Am Games in 1999.
Tanaka played club soccer for Coach Geoff Dunlop at Calgary Foothills. She also played on the women's major league Calgary United team for Coach Gordan Ramsay and was a member of the Alberta Under-18 Provincial Team for Coach Ernie Cavaliere.
Personal Information
The daughter of Ed and Pam Tanaka, Shannon has one sister, Heather, 25. Shannon was an advertising major and owned a 3.946 GPA. She was born July 25, 1980. Shannon was one of four players from Calgary, Alberta, on the 2001 Husker soccer team, joining Christine Latham, Breanna Boyd and Kelly Haxton.