Sept. 13, 2002
DAVIS, Calif. - UC Davis track and field All-American Tanisha Silas has been named a finalist for the 2002 NCAA Woman of the Year Award becoming the second consecutive Aggie to earn such recognition, it was announced by the NCAA on Friday morning.
The award recognizes young women in intercollegiate athletics for their outstanding achievements in athletics, academics and community service. This year marks the 12th year of the NCAA Woman of the Year Award.
The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics will select the 2002 NCAA Woman of the Year from among the 10 finalists. The national winner will be announced at an awards dinner November 2 at the Westin Hotel in Indianapolis.
Silas, a six-time All-American as part of the 4x400 relay teams for the Aggies' indoor and outdoor track and field squads, was named the NCAA Woman of the Year for California last week, becoming the fourth UC Davis student-athlete since 1996 to earn that distinction and the third from the track team.
Former soccer standout Kim Haskell was a state-level winner in 1996, while former track All-American Jamila Demby was named the NCAA Woman of the Year in 1999, the first Division II student-athlete to be so honored. Track All-American Kameelah Elarms was a top-10 finalist last year.
Silas, from Hogan High School in Vallejo, begins medical school this month at UC Davis after graduating in June with her undergraduate degree in neurobiology, physiology and behavior. She graduated with a 3.663 GPA, received the Division of Biological Sciences Department Citation for Academic Excellence in 2002, completed an honor's thesis and received several other academic and leadership honors.
The Dean's List student was also a member of the UC Davis Gospel Choir and interned at the pediatrics emergency room and geriatrics department at the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento.
Additionally, she has volunteered with the Northern California Special Olympics, was volunteer coordinator for the track and field team's participation in Thanksgiving activities at the Shriner's Hospital in Sacramento, and was a peer counselor in UC Davis' Peer Counselors in Athletics program.
On the track, she finished as an outdoor All-American in the 4x400-meter relay each of her four years of competition, was an indoor All-American in the same event as a sophomore and junior, and was part of UC Davis' outdoor relay team that captured California Collegiate Athletic Association championships three times.
Additionally, she was part of relay teams that hold both the indoor and outdoor school records.
Of the 10 finalists announced on Friday, six are from NCAA Division I institutions, two are from Division II and two are from Division III. The finalists were selected from more than 340 nominations.
Kimberly A. Black, a four-time NCAA All-American and an Olympic gold-medal swimmer from the University of Georgia was last year's winner.
2002 NCAA WOMAN OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
(represented states in parentheses)
TANISHA SILAS, (California), UC Davis,
Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field
Angela Knopf, (Colorado), Colorado State University,
Volleyball
Katie Ryan, (Massachusetts), Boston College,
Cross Country, Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field
Morgan Buckner, (Michigan), Ferris State University,
Volleyball, Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field.
Sarah Moe, (Minnesota), Gustavus Adolphus College
Ice Hockey
Ann Marie Brooks, (Missouri), University of Missouri, Columbia,
Cross Country, Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field
Jaimeeganleong Soohoo Reynolds, (New York), Cornell University,
Volleyball, Lacrosse
Shannon Bowles, (Utah), University of Utah
Gymnastics,
Alison Connolly, (Vermont), Middlebury College,
Lacrosse, Soccer
Anna Mickelson, (Washington), University of Washington,
Rowing
