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| Abbey Elsberry, Boise State |
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| Shana Robinson, Tulsa |
INDIANAPOLIS - Boise States Abbey Elsberry and Tulsa's Shana Robinson have been named one of the top 10 national finalists for the NCAAs 2004 NCAA Woman of the Year contest as well as the State of Idahos NCAA Woman of the Year for 2004.
NCAA Site Story
The NCAA announced today the 10 finalists for the 2004 NCAA Woman of the Year award, one of the most prestigious honors the NCAA bestows.
This award recognizes young women in intercollegiate athletics for their outstanding achievements in athletics, academics and community service.
This years finalists, who have an average grade-point average of 3.81 on a 4.0 scale, graduated or will graduate with degrees in majors such as biology, chemistry, food science, kinesiology, math, pre-medicine and Spanish.
The 10 finalists for the 2004 NCAA Woman of the Year award include six NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipients, and seven of the 10 are or were involved with the NCAA Student-Athlete Advisory Committees (SAAC) on their campuses and in their conferences. SAAC is a committee made up of student-athlete leaders assembled to provide insight on the student-athlete experience. The SAAC also offers input on the rules, regulations and policies that affect student-athletes lives on NCAA member institution campuses and it is the student voice in the NCAAs governance structure.
The finalists are volunteers who served as peer counselors, "adopted" a family at Christmas, volunteered for a food bank, worked with the Special Olympics and participated in a missions trip to Peru.
Of the finalists, six are from Division I member institutions, two are from Division II and two are from Division III. They represent a variety of sports, including lacrosse, swimming, indoor and outdoor track, cross country and soccer, from schools in California, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Michigan, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon and Virginia.
The 10 national finalists are:
Kelly Albin, California, University of California, Davis, lacrosse. Hometown: Fort Bragg, California.
Julie Hardt, Georgia, University of Georgia, swimming. Hometown: Reno, Nevada.
Abbey Elsberry, Idaho, Boise State University, indoor and outdoor track. Hometown: Billings, Montana.
Megan Grunert, Indiana, University of Indianapolis, swimming. Hometown: Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin.
Sherita Williams, Michigan, Michigan State University, indoor and outdoor track. Hometown: Tampa, Florida.
Kinsey Coles, North Dakota, North Dakota State University, cross country, indoor and outdoor track. Hometown: Hillsboro, North Dakota.
Kayla Heising, Ohio, College of Wooster, swimming. Hometown: Wauseon, Ohio.
Shana Robinson, Oklahoma, University of Tulsa, indoor and outdoor track. Hometown: Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Imani Dorsey, Oregon, University of Portland, soccer. Hometown: Santa Monica, California.
Melissa Block, Virginia, Mary Washington College, lacrosse. Hometown: Annapolis, Maryland.
This is the 14th year the Woman of the Year award has been given.
The finalists were selected from 276 entries by a committee comprised of athletics administrators from NCAA member colleges and universities. The NCAA Committee on Womens Athletics will select the 2004 NCAA Woman of the Year from among the 10 finalists. The national winner will be announced at an awards dinner October 31, in Indianapolis.
Last years national winner was Ashley Rowatt, a swimming and diving standout from Kenyon College, a Division III school in Gambier, Ohio. She was the first student-athlete in Division III to win the award.
Other past winners include:
2002 Tanisha Silas, track and field, University of California, Davis
2001 Kimberly A. Black, Olympic gold medal swimmer, University of Georgia
2000 Kristy Kowal, Olympic silver medal swimmer, University of Georgia
1999 Jamila Demby, track and field, University of California, Davis
1998 Peggy Boutilier, lacrosse and field hockey, University of Virginia
1997 the late Lisa Ann Coole, swimming, University of Georgia
1996 Billie Winsett Fletcher, volleyball, University of Nebraska, Lincoln
1995 Rebecca Lobo, basketball, University of Connecticut
1994 Tanya Hughes Jones, track and field, University of Arizona
1993 Nnenna Jean Lynch, cross country and track and field, Villanova University
1992 Catherine Byrne Maloney, swimming, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
1991 Mary Beth Riley-Metcalf, cross country, Canisius College.