Ashley Jo Rowatt, a former swimming standout at Kenyon College, was named the 2003 NCAA Woman of the Year during the 13th annual awards dinner November 1 in Indianapolis.

Rowatt, who was selected from about 350 nominations, is the first student-athlete from Kenyon and the first from Division III to earn the honor.

After accepting the award, Rowatt thanked her family, coaches, professors and teammates for inspiring her to achieve. She also congratulated each of the state winners who shared the stage with her.

"There is no reason to compete in athletics if it's not bringing you enjoyment. Compete for the love of the sport and for yourself, not for other people or for any other pressures that might get to you," Rowatt said.

Rowatt graduated summa cum laude with highest honors last May with a degree in molecular biology. She earned distinction as a two-time Verizon Academic All-American and was named that program's Academic All-American of the Year in 2003. Rowatt, an NCAA postgraduate scholarship recipient, was the Robert Bowen Brown Jr. Prize winner, which recognizes best original research in biology at Kenyon, and recipient of the 2003 Jess Falkenstine Award, given for the outstanding Kenyon scholar-athlete who exemplifies leadership and integrity.

A four-year qualifier for the NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships, Rowatt was a two-time individual NCAA champion in the 400-yard individual medley and the 800-yard freestyle relay. She also captured an NCAA championship in the 200-yard individual medley. Her team won the Division III championship in 2000, 2002 and 2003 and earned four North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) championships. At the conference championships, she won four events and was named all-NCAC nine times.

Rowatt also found time to reach out to the community as well as play the flute at Kenyon despite a schedule laden with commitments to her academic and athletics pursuits.

She was a member of the American Chemical Society for students and Kenyon Bible studies. In addition, Rowatt was a four-year member of the the Symphonic Wind Ensemble and was elected as flute section leader as a senior. She was a member of her campus student-athlete committee and tutored trouble youth.

Rowatt points to her family's support as key to her achievements. She also cited the support of her Kenyon swimming teammates as a secret to her success.

"Just seeing them being dedicated to the classroom and dedicated to the pool really put it in my head that something like this was possible," Rowatt said.

Rowatt said she also drew inspiration from a former club coach, who also was an Olympian and former world record holder. She said that coach encouraged her to work harder and set priorities that include faith, family, academics and swimming.

"I thought it was a really great way to think about it and I've adopted that priority system," she said. "She's been a great inspiration to me, specifically for giving me that bit of advice."

The Louisville, Kentucky, native has turned her attention to medical school and is currently attending Vanderbilt University. However, Rowatt has yet to select a specialty, although she's certain she'd like to practice rather than research.

"I'm thinking about primary care, but I'm also thinking about almost every other specialty there is so my eyes are open to the possibilities right now," she said.

Rowatt has retired from the pool, but those competitive juices continue to bubble just under the surface. Although she admits she hasn't set any definite goals, she is interested in picking up biking with an eye toward competing in a triathlon one day.

As for words of wisdom to other young women athletes, Rowatt reiterates what her club coach told her.

"Work harder than hard. Everybody else out there is going to be working hard. You have to work harder than hard," she said.

Finally, Rowatt stressed the importance of education.

"You can't play the game if you don't have the grades," she said. "I find often that the best athletes are the best in academics. They are not inconsistent with each other because they carry over. You're going to be better at academics because you're better at athletics and vice versa."

Last year's Woman of the Year was Tanisha Silas, a student-athlete from the University of California, Davis, who competed in track and field and graduated with a degree in neurobiology, physiology and behavior.

Highlights of the 2003 Woman of the Year dinner will be broadcast December 5 on ESPN2.