It's becoming a tradition at the University of Georgia. When Georgia swimmer Kimberly A. Black was chosen October 21 as the 2001 NCAA Woman of the Year, it made two winners in a row for the university and also marked the third time in 11 years that a Lady Bulldog from the swim team has taken home the title.

The NCAA Woman of the Year award honors academic and athletics excellence, as well as community service and leadership. Each year the slate of candidates is full of Rhodes Scholar finalists, national champions and tireless volunteers -- often all in the same person.

The latest Woman of the Year from this impressive group had equally stellar credentials. A biology major with a near-perfect grade-point average, Black also was the female winner of the NCAA Walter Byers Scholarship, the highest academic honor given by the Association. A Phi Beta Kappa who has won numerous other academic accolades, Black hopes to serve a stint in South America in the Peace Corps before enrolling in medical school, where she plans to pursue a career in pediatric medicine.

Black also was a member of the gold-medal-winning 800-meter freestyle relay team in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. Black also competed in the World University Games this summer in Beijing, where she was a member of the 800-meter freestyle relay team that also won a gold medal. A four-time all-American, Black helped the Lady Bulldogs to their third straight NCAA championship and fifth consecutive Southeastern Conference title in 2001.

An active participant in a mentoring program and also a volunteer at schools and hospitals, Black won the 2001 Peach of an Athlete Award given by the Atlanta Boy Scouts of America for her volunteer work. She also won the inaugural Georgia Athletic Association Community Service Award, given to the student-athlete at Georgia selected for outstanding commitment to community service.

Stars of tomorrow

Black accepted the award at the 11th annual NCAA Woman of the Year awards dinner October 21 in Indianapolis.

Among those welcoming attendees were NCAA President Cedric W. Dempsey and Judy Sweet, NCAA senior woman administrator and vice-president for championships.

Sweet reminded the audience that 20 years ago, as these 51 finalists were learning to walk and talk, the NCAA was conducting women's championships for the first time.

"The advent of women's championships within the NCAA structure made 1981 an exciting, challenging and memorable year," Sweet said. "We were looking forward to new opportunities and visibility for female athletes in their journey to NCAA championships and the resulting celebrations, like ours tonight.

"We will take this year to reflect on the great strides we have made to give tonight's honorees, their teammates, coaches and rivals the support for developing their talents and the stage to display them."

Robin Roberts, sports commentator from ESPN and ABC, served as master of ceremonies for the 11th year. Roberts was joined this year by Nell Fortner, head coach and general manager of the WNBA's Indiana Fever.

All 51 of the state finalists are invited to the dinner and introduced to those in attendance, with the 10 finalists introduced by videos highlighting their accomplishments.

The state finalists included a 15-time all-American track star, a volunteer who helped Burmese refugees, a national champion pole vaulter with a perfect grade-point average in molecular biology, several women currently playing professional basketball overseas and a Rhodes Scholar finalist who starred in three sports at her school. There were future teachers, doctors, lawyers, businesswomen and even one aspiring FBI agent.

The winner of the Woman of the Year remains a secret until after all the state finalists are introduced at the dinner. Marilyn McNeil, chair of the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics, which selects the winner from the 10 finalists once they are chosen from the 51 by another selection committee, made the announcement.

"I don't know how they could choose just one of us," Black said as she accepted, noting the numerous accomplishments of the top 10 finalists. "It's been really inspiring for me to be here and meet so many wonderful people."

'Never stop striving'

Black recalled her experiences as she began to swim at age 8, when her small stature and inefficient stroke made the prospect of pursuing the sport unlikely at best.

"I had a coach tell me that I was one of the least efficient people he had ever seen in the water, and now, at still just 5-6, I've always been pretty short for my sport. But I want the children in the audience here, especially ones here with host families or here because of their participation in the sports spectacular, to know that you can do anything you want if you stick to it long enough and never stop striving."

Black missed making the 1996 Olympic team by only a hundredth of a second. In 2000, she made the team by the same slim margin.

Black encouraged young people to pursue sports to round out their experiences in life.

"Choose something you love," she said, "and you can't lose no matter what. You will meet great people and you will have great experiences."

Black counts her volunteer experience mentoring a girl named Abigail as something that's been beneficial to them both.

"I think of her as a little sister. I was very blessed growing up to have a role model, my brother who is three years older than me. In many ways, I am now Abigail's role model and I can see a direct impact that mentoring has on her," Black said.

"When I began mentoring her, I also didn't realize how much of an effect it would have on me. I am from Syracuse, New York, and Abigail's family has adopted me and made me feel at home in Georgia."

Black credited her coach, Georgia's Jack Bauerle, with setting the right tone for student-athletes at the school.

"Time management is very important, but Jack has always stressed academics," she said. "I think he was just as excited about me winning the Walter Byers Scholarship as he was about me making the Olympic team. That kind of a commitment from a coach really makes a difference."

An edited version of the awards dinner will be shown on ESPN December 11 at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

Last year's national winner was Kristy Kowal, an all-American swimmer and 2000 Olympic silver medalist from Georgia. The first winner from Georgia was the late Lisa Ann Coole, also a swimmer, who won the award in 1997 but was killed in a traffic accident the following year.

Other previous winners are: 1999 -- Jamila Demby, track and field, the University of California, Davis; 1998 -- Peggy Boutilier, lacrosse and field hockey, University of Virginia; 1996 -- Billie Winsett-Fletcher, volleyball, University of Nebraska, Lincoln; 1995 -- Rebecca Lobo, basketball, University of Connecticut; 1994 -- Tanya Jones, track and field, University of Arizona; 1993 --Nnenna Lynch, track and cross country, Villanova University; 1992 -- Catherine Byrne, swimming and diving, University of Tennessee, Knoxville; and 1991 -- Mary Beth Riley, track and field, Canisius College.