The NCAA News - News and Features

September 15, 1997

NCAA announces 10 finalists for Woman of the Year

The Association has announced the 10 finalists for the 1997 NCAA Woman of the Year Award.

The award recognizes young women in intercollegiate athletics for their outstanding achievements in athletics, academics and community leadership.

The finalists are Shelly L. Bartlett, gymnastics, University of Nebraska, Lincoln; Sara Bloom, rowing, Bucknell University; Virginia Bolenhaugh, gymnastics, Seattle Pacific University; Lisa Ann Coole, swimming, University of Georgia; Julie Anne Roe, basketball, Millikin University; Ann Sieckert, volleyball, Augustana College (South Dakota); Natasha W. Taylor, basketball, West Texas A&M University; Stacey Williams, soccer, track and basketball, Wilmington College (Ohio); Meredith P. Willard, gymnastics, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa; and Wendy L. Wolff, softball, University of Wisconsin, Parkside.

The 10 finalists were selected by a special committee made up of athletics administrators from NCAA member colleges and universities. The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics will select the 1997 Woman of the Year from among the finalists, and the winner will be announced at an awards dinner October 19 at the Westin Crown Center Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri.

The finalists' grade-point averages range from 3.610 to 4.000 and the overall average is 3.810. They include a World University Games gold medalist (Coole), USA Gymnastics national champion (Bolenbaugh) and two NCAA national-championship winners (Willard, gymnastics team champion, and Coole, 100 butterfly and 200 freestyle relay).

Three of the finalists are gymnasts and two are basketball players. Other sports represented include rowing, soccer, softball, swimming and volleyball. This year marks the first time a rowing participant has been selected as a Woman of the Year finalist. Rowing became an NCAA championship sport in 1997.

This is the seventh year for the award. The 1996 winner was Billie Winsett-Fletcher, volleyball player at Nebraska.

Woman of the Year finalists:

Shelly L. Bartlett, gymnastics, Nebraska: 1997 individual all-around champion in the Big Twelve Conference ... 1997 female student-athlete of the year at Nebraska ... Earned all-America honors in the bars, vault and all-around ... Majored in secondary education/social sciences ...Volunteered for D.A.R.E., People's Mission City, Malone Community Center, No Guns/Know Guns, Omaha Literacy Council and "School is Cool" Jam ... Received Chancellor's Leadership Scholarship and Herman Team GPA Award.

Sara Bloom, rowing, Bucknell: Winner of two Patriot League gold medals ... Team captain for two years ...Two-time US Rowing collegiate all-American ... Second-place finish in women's intermediate eights at the 1996 American Rowing Championships ... Majored in biology ... Volunteered as coach and academic tutor ... Member of Mortar Board and Omicron Delta Kappa national academic/leadership honor societies.

Virginia Bolenbaugh, gymnastics, Seattle Pacific: National champion at 1996 USA Gymnastics Collegiate Nationals ... Five time all-American ... Majored in religious studies and educational ministry ... Member of Seattle Pacific student-athlete advisory committee and Alpha Kappa Sigma honor society ... Volunteer for Athletes in Action and as companion for elderly ... 1997 USA Gymnastics national-championship team member.

Lisa Ann Coole, swimming, Georgia: Won the 100-meter butterfly at the 1996 NCAA Division I Women's Swimming and Diving Championships and was a member of the national-champion 200-meter freestyle relay team in 1995 ... Majored in biology ... Three-time all-American ... Glamour Magazine's Top-10 College Women in America ... Volunteer for Athens-area homeless shelter and Salvation Army ... Participated in 1995 World University Games.

Julie Anne Roe, basketball, Millikin: Majored in American studies ... Women's Basketball Coaches Association Kodak All-American ... Named most outstanding player in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin two times ... President of Alpha Lambda Delta honorary fraternity and vice-president of Delta Delta Delta ... Member of provost's internal athletics review team ... Volunteer English teacher ... Named Millikin Scovill Scholar ... Member of NCAA Division III sectional all-tournament team.

Ann Sieckert, volleyball, Augustana (South Dakota): An emergency medical technician and student coach ... Majored in nursing/biology ... Listed in 1997 Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities ... Named most valuable player/player of the year in the North Central Conference in 1996 ... First-team all-American ... Volunteer for Habitat for Humanity.

Natasha W. Taylor, basketball, West Texas A&M: Named the Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Female Athlete of the Year ... Member of the university's student-athlete advisory committee and Alpha Chi honor society ... Majored in kinesiology ... Named most valuable player in the Lone Star Conference ... Volunteer for Camp Fire Girls and Meals on Wheels ... GTE Academic All-America and Kodak All-American first team.

Stacey Williams, track, soccer and basketball, Wilmington (Ohio): Holder of the Wilmington record in the 400-meter relay ... Two-time recipient of the Presidential Award in basketball ... Participant in the Umbro Select Senior Bowl Game ... Named the Ohio Player of the Year in 1996 ... Majored in physical education ... Volunteer for Head Start ... Named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America all-American team in Division III ... GTE Academic All-America.

Meredith P. Willard, gymnastics, Alabama: Helped Alabama win the National Collegiate Women's Gymnastics Championships team title in 1996 and also won the all-around championship ... Named the gymnast of the year in the Southeastern Conference in 1997 ... Runner-up in the national all-around competition in 1997 ... Named Amateur Athlete of the Year in 1997 by the Alabama Sports Writers Association ... Recipient of NCAA postgraduate scholarship ... Majored in marketing ... Volunteer for Salvation Army and Project Angel Tree ... First-team GTE Academic All-America ... Member of Alabama student-athlete advisory committee ... Four-time scholastic all-American.

Wendy L. Wolff, softball, Wisconsin-Parkside: Named to the 1997 NCAA all-tournament team ... Advocate for Surviving Sexual Assault ... Softball clinic instructor ... Player of the year in the Great Lakes Valley Conference ... Two-time first-team all-American ... Majored in English ... Volunteer for Homeward Bound ... Named to Great Lakes Valley Conference all-academic team.