Discipline.

Focus under pressure.

Never give up.

Those are just three of the lessons that Lauryn McCalley, former diving standout at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has learned through participation in sports.

It is clear that McCalley, named the 2005 NCAA Woman of the Year at the 15th annual awards dinner October 29 in Indianapolis, has learned those lessons well.

A selection committee composed of representatives of NCAA member schools chose 51 candidates from 49 states (no nominations were received from the state of Arizona), the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. A pool of 10 finalists advanced, from which McCalley was selected by the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics.

Among the other lessons McCalley obviously has picked up along the way, either from sport or life, are humility, vision and toughness. In her acceptance remarks, McCalley said she was humbled and honored to receive such a prestigious award, especially since this year marks the 25th anniversary of NCAA women's championships.

"Never would I have dreamed that God would have blessed me with such an opportunity to stand here today. I do not feel that I should be standing here alone. There are so many amazing girls here tonight," said McCalley, who thanked her family, friends and head coach. "The life lessons I have learned through being a student-athlete are invaluable, and I will take those through the rest of my life and through the challenges that will come. I am truly blessed. I just hope I can give back to someone as much as the NCAA has given to me."

The avenue through which McCalley plans to return some of what was given to her is medicine. By her own admission, she has been enamored with the field since she was a young child. In fact, in her personal statement included in her nomination materials, she said she spent hours playing "doctor" on her Cabbage Patch dolls. Q-tips served as tongue depressors, toilet paper filled in for Ace bandages, dishwashing detergent was antiseptic cleanser, popsicle sticks served as crutches and her mother's purse was a doctor's bag.

McCalley has completed requirements for a degree in microbiology and will graduate from Tennessee in the spring. Currently, she is plowing through coursework at the University of Georgia to become a compound pharmacist.

The Moultrie, Georgia, native credits her faith and family with motivating her for achieving so highly. Her faith, she said, gives her the inspiration to overcome adversity, such as competing once in the NCAA championships despite having cracked ribs.

Her family also has provided support.

"My family has been behind me just enough to push me and keep me motivated, but not burn me out," said McCalley, who described her grandmother as the strongest woman she knows. "She's been through so much and she is so wise. There is no one I admire more than her."

The former Lady Vol diver has earned her own share of admiration. She becomes the second recipient from Tennessee and the sixth swimming and diving student-athlete to earn the Woman of the Year award, which is one of the most prestigious the Association bestows. The 1992 Woman of the Year, Catherine Byrne, also was a member of the Tennessee swimming and diving team.

Like previous winners, McCalley has excelled in the classroom, in the athletics arena and in the community. A recipient of an NCAA postgraduate scholarship and one of three finalists for the NCAA Walter Byers Scholarship, McCalley earned the Southeastern Conference Scholar Athlete award and was a recipient of the SEC's H. Boyd McWhorter Postgraduate Scholarship. In addition to consistently being named to the Tennessee Thornton Center Honor Roll and the SEC honor roll, McCalley was named as one of Glamour Magazine's 2004 Top Ten College Women.

McCalley, a five-time all-American, joined the Volunteers swimming and diving squad as the No. 1 diver in the nation. A member of the United States National Team from 1995 to 2004, she earned first-team all-SEC honors throughout her collegiate career. McCalley was named the Freshman Diver of the Year in 2001-02, the same season she turned in a top-three finish at the NCAA championships.

The 2002-03 Tennessee swimmer/diver of the year, McCalley was a recipient of the Tennessee "No Guts No Glory Award" in 2003-04, all while serving as team co-captain. She is a 2008 Olympic hopeful.

When she wasn't studying or competing, McCalley served as the president of the campus Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and represented female student-athletes on the Tennessee Athletic Board as well as served on the Athletes in Action Leadership Team. She was president of Homeless Holiday Dinners and Baskets, she worked with the mentoring program at Colquitt Regional Hospital and she was a member of the Read Aloud program for children.

The 2004 Woman of the Year was Kelly Albin, a lacrosse student-athlete from the University of California, Davis.

Portions of the NCAA Woman of the Year dinner will be broadcast at 4 p.m. Eastern Time, December 2, on ESPN2.