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The NCAA News -- October 26, 1998

Boutilier named 1998 NCAA Woman of the Year

BY KAY HAWES
STAFF WRITER

INDIANAPOLIS -- Peggy Boutilier, a senior lacrosse and field hockey student-athlete at the University of Virginia, was named the 1998 NCAA Woman of the Year at the eighth annual NCAA Woman of the Year Awards Dinner at the Westin Hotel in Indianapolis October 18.

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

Robin Roberts, ESPN and ABC sports commentator and anchor, shared the evening's master of ceremonies duties with 1992 Olympic gold medal swimmer Summer Sanders, who hosts Nickelodeon's game show "Figure it Out" and serves as a sideline reporter with the Lifetime Television Sports Team covering the WNBA.

In an evening themed, "Heroes in Life," the NCAA also honored and celebrated the achievements of all 51 state nominees for Woman of the Year, giving special recognition to the 10 finalists.

The awards dinner also featured a special video presentation honoring last year's winner, swimmer Lisa Ann Coole of the University of Georgia. Coole was killed in an automobile accident earlier this year. Coole had become the first swimmer in Georgia history to earn seven first-team all-American awards.

An ESPN broadcast on December 10 at 1 p.m. (EST) will feature highlights from the awards dinner.

A 'chance to give back'

Boutilier plans to share both her love for learning and her love for sports when she begins her career teaching elementary school children.

"I am truly honored to be here," Boutilier said as she accepted the award. "I'm really excited about getting my master's degree in education because it's my chance to give back to children what I've been so lucky to receive."

Boutilier is enrolled in a five-year program at Virginia and will graduate next year with a bachelor of arts degree in sociology and a master's degree in elementary education.

She says she is happiest when she's busy, and her experience as a two-sport student-athlete, involved leader and dual-major student ought to prepare her for her future.

"I love working with children," she said. "And every day is different. In the elementary classroom, you teach science, math, reading and all kinds of different things. It lets you be creative, and you have to be on your toes," she said.

Boutilier is used to being on the run. She has excelled at two varsity sports on two teams ranked No. 1 in the same year, and she was the first student-athlete in school history to be voted by her teammates as the Most Valuable Player on two teams the same year.

As team captain, she led Virginia's lacrosse team to the Atlantic Coast Conference championship in 1998 and a runner-up finish in the NCAA championship. She set a school record with 71 consecutive starts in lacrosse. In 1998, she led the team in scoring as a defender, scoring 37 goals. Boutilier is a member of the 1998 U.S. National Lacrosse Team, and she was named Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association Player of the Year for two straight years.

Boutilier also served as Virginia's field hockey team captain and was selected its most valuable player in 1997. She was a south regional all-American, and she started in a school-record 88 games. She also led the team to the NCAA semifinals for the first time in school history. Boutilier also was a 1994 U.S. Olympic Festival gold medalist in field hockey.

Boutilier was named Virginia's Outstanding Female Athlete for 1997-98 for her accomplishments in lacrosse and field hockey.

"Her work ethic and the balance she has in her life enable her to do all that," Virginia's field hockey coach Missy Sanders told The Baltimore Sun. "It's difficult to maintain the level of skill she has in field hockey when you only play half a year. It's the same thing with lacrosse, but she makes a real commitment to what she does."

Boutilier's commitment to academics is also apparent. A GTE Academic All-American in 1996 and 1997, Boutilier has been honored with Virginia's prestigious Gray-Carrington Scholarship, which is awarded to a Virginia student who excels in the areas of personal integrity, achievement, leadership and humility.

She's also the recipient of the Atlantic Coast Conference's Weaver-James Corrigan Scholarship and the National Association of College Directors of Athletics Preseason Games Scholarship. Boutilier has a 3.600 grade-point average (on a 4.000 scale), and she was the Eastern College Athletic Conference's Scholar-Athlete of the year for 1997-98. Boutilier was also selected to "Live on the Lawn," an honor reserved for only the most accomplished students at Virginia.

"She likes to be busy," Virginia lacrosse coach Julie Myers told The Washington Post. "The amazing thing is that with all the things that she was involved in, nothing was ever hurt because of her involvement with something else. She does a great job balancing all the things that she does. She never cut any corners. I don't think most people could do all the things she does, and she ends up doing so well."

Boutilier is also committed to serving and leading others. She has tutored students in public school, and she's a founding member of Virginia's Student Council Athletic Student Affairs Committee, which promotes interaction between athletes and the entire university community. She also has received the Virginia athletics department's Ernest Ern Award for outstanding contributions to student life. A member of the Student-Athlete Mentor Council at Virginia, Boutilier was named the Outstanding Student-Athlete Mentor for 1997-98.

Last year Boutilier was president of the Captain's Council, a panel of all Virginia team captains, and a representative on the athletics department's Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs Committee. Boutilier is also a member of Virginia's Raven Society, which recognizes excellence in academics and school service, and a member of Virginia's IMP Society, which recognizes unselfish contribution to the improvement of student life.

This year, Boutilier is student-teaching as she prepares for her career in elementary education. She says she would also like to pass on her love for lacrosse and field hockey to young people by coaching on the high-school level. She credits athletics for teaching her many of the values she now holds -- including sportsmanship, dedication, perseverance and team work.

"I started playing sports in the sixth grade," she said, recalling her first attempt at lacrosse. "I've never played anything but team sports, and I just love working toward a common goal."

Whatever goal Boutilier sets, she's likely to achieve it. "She's the most outstanding person I've ever had the opportunity to work with," Myers said. "(Her teammates) call her 'Perfect Peggy' because there's nothing she can't do. But she has worked at it. Everything doesn't just fall her way. She takes charge of situations and creates all of her own success."

In spite of her success, Boutilier was surprised when her name was called. "It's something I never would have thought I could win," she said. "I'm overwhelmed to be chosen from all these outstanding scholar-athletes."

This year more than 400 NCAA member institutions submitted nominations for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award, which is presented by Rawlings.

To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must have participated in an NCAA-sponsored sport, be a varsity letter-winner, have a minimum cumulative grade-point-average of at least 2.500 on a 4.000 scale and have completed intercollegiate eligibility by the end of the 1998 spring season.

A committee made up of representatives from NCAA member institutions selected the 51 state winners, then selected 10 finalists. The 1998 NCAA Woman of the Year was selected from among the finalists by the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics.