Tanisha Silas' specialty was the 400 meters, but it is her performance in the race of life that makes her stand out.

Silas, a former track student-athlete at the University of California, Davis, was named the 2002 NCAA Woman of the Year November 2 in Indianapolis.

A six-time all-American and three-time conference champion, Silas also graduated with honors in neurobiology, physiology and behavior -- all while volunteering as a peer counselor and as an intern in the pediatrics emergency room at the UC Davis medical center.

"By far this is the biggest honor I have ever received," Silas said when she accepted the award.

Silas also noted the need to advance women's athletics further. "Young women's athletics has come a long way, and if we all keep working together as a team, there's no limit to what we can accomplish."

It's a long way from the ghetto of Vallejo, California, to the stage of the Westin in Indianapolis at the 2002 NCAA Woman of the Year dinner, but it's a path that Silas set out on while she was very young. Now a medical student at UC Davis, Silas is fulfilling a dream she's had since junior high. She plans to become a family doctor and help those who need medical care the most.

"I saw a real need in my community for health care," she said. "People don't have insurance, so often they go without care."

But long before she even enrolled in college, Silas had to endure the violence and poverty of her childhood surroundings. Her brother and her best friend were murdered, and her dad was a foster parent, so she had a constantly changing cast of foster siblings.

"Drug dealers and prostitutes were common in my neighborhood," Silas said. "It was an unforgiving environment for a young girl who dared to dream of being the first in her family to go to college. Athletics was my escape from reality, something I initially did because I didn't want to go home after school."

Silas funneled that need to escape into her schoolwork and her running, where she excelled at both. She joined the track team at UC Davis and ran in the 400 meters and in the 1,600-meter relay. On the academic side, she posted four quarters with a perfect grade-point average and 15 consecutive quarters above a 3.000.

Far from being even a two-dimensional person, though, she also performed with the UC Davis Gospel Choir and sang for California Gov. Gray Davis' Healing Day in remembrance of the 9-11 victims.

When the choice was performing with the choir at Carnegie Hall in 2001 or competing in the NCAA championships, she chose athletics, helping lead her team to a tie for fourth in Division II.

"Nationals or Carnegie Hall? I just couldn't imagine letting down my coach, who had done so much for me and had supported me through so many things," Silas said.

When Silas accepted the award, she thanked her coach as well as an extraordinarily large number of family members, friends and mentors for their support. Without their assistance, Silas said, she wouldn't have her degree, her all-American titles or her future as a doctor.

"You know that cliche, 'it takes a village to raise a child' -- well, it really does take a village, particularly in the neighborhood where I grew up," she said. "I wouldn't be where I am today without the love and support of all of those people."

Silas credits her own ability to dream for her determination.

"I know my strength has been God and my ability to believe in myself. If you can envision it and picture it in your mind, you are one step closer," she said.

"Athletics has given me essential life tools that could not be learned in a classroom -- as well as the keys to achieve my dream. Medical school is my next relay. I'm confident I will thrive there because of my experiences as a student-athlete. Someday, when I am working as a family practitioner in an underserved community, I'll have one word of advice for other young girls: dream!"

Silas is the second student-athlete from UC Davis to be named NCAA Woman of the Year. Jamila Demby, also a track all-American, received the honor in 1999.

Highlights of the Woman of the Year dinner will be broadcast December 3 on ESPN at 2 p.m. Eastern time.

A winner worthy of recognition

Academics

First-year medical student at the University of California, Davis, medical school.

Graduated with highest honors with an undergraduate degree in neurobiology, physiology and behavior.

Won UC Davis Division of Biological Sciences Departmental Citation of Academic Excellence in 2002.

Completed honors thesis project focusing on macaque monkeys' vocalization and neural processing.

Won outstanding senior leadership award in 2001 and was named a member of the Golden Key National Honor Society.

Won Arthur Ashe Jr. National Sports Scholar Award in 2000.

Was a member of the dean's list from 1998 to the conclusion of her undergraduate degree.

Performed with UC Davis Gospel Choir an average of five times per quarter. Recorded a CD with the choir in 2002.

Athletics

Competed in indoor and outdoor track and field, becoming a six-time all-American and three-time conference champion.

Served as captain of the track and field team.

Helped lead her team to fourth-place finish in Division II in indoor track in 2001 and a fifth-place finish in outdoor track in 2000 and 2001.

Qualified for the NCAA outdoor track tournament in the 400-meter run in 2001.

Helped set a school record in the 2001 indoor 1,600-meter relay.

Helped set a school record in the 2000 outdoor 1,600-meter relay.

Ranks third in school history in the 400-meter run.

Community Service

Volunteered as an intern in the pediatrics emergency room and in the geriatrics department. Fed, bathed and comforted patients suffering from diabetes, HIV and the after-effects of strokes and heart attacks.

Served as a peer counselor to other student-athletes, giving presentations on topics ranging from time management to eating disorders.

Served as a track and field clinic instructor for the Special Olympics, training coaches to work with children and adults with physical and developmental disabilities.

Coordinated volunteers from the track team to assist the Shriner's Hospital at its annual Thanksgiving outreach program.

Chaired the UC Davis Reception Committee for a celebration of the school's African-American graduates, which hosts 2,000 attendees each year. Duties included organizing the ceremony, fund-raising a budget of $13,000, managing the publicity for the event and choosing the speakers.

Coordinated volunteers from UC Davis to work at the Davis Stampede Road Race.