Aug. 30, 2005

Indianapolis, IN - The National Collegiate Athletic Association announced on Monday that Winston-Salem State University senior student-athlete Shannon Davis (Detroit, MI) was named the 2005 NCAA Woman of the Year for the State of North Carolina.

Davis, a senior at WSSU and member of the Lady Rams' bowling and softball teams was selected as one of 51 state winners from a national pool of nominees, including representatives from Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C. (There were no nominations from the state of Arizona.)

The NCAA Woman of the Year recognizes outstanding female student-athletes who have excelled in academics, athletics and community leadership.

Chosen by a committee of representatives from member institutions, 29 of the 2005 state honorees are from Division I, while 16 represent Division II and six are from Division III. They represent 15 sports.

The committee of institutional representatives also will select 10 finalists from the 51 state winners, based on grade-point average, athletics achievement and community service. The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics will chose the national winner from among the 10 finalists. Finalists will be revealed in the September 26 issue of The NCAA News.

The 2005 NCAA Woman of the Year will be announced during the annual awards dinner October 29 in Indianapolis. ESPN personality Danielle Sargent and Kara Lawson, former University of Tennessee, Knoxville, women's basketball standout and a 2003 Woman of the Year top-10 finalist currently playing in the WNBA, will serve as emcees for the evening.

"As an Athletic Department and a University as a whole, we are honored that Shannon has been selected as the State Finalist for the State of North Carolina, marking the second time and second consecutive year that an individual from our institution has been chosen as a state finalist. Last year it was her sister Heather, and this year, it is Shannon. Personally, I am not surprised in the least at the selection of Shannon as a finalist. She exemplifies not only what a student-athlete is, but what a quality person is. She is not only a standout athlete and student, but a standout person with exceptional character. As the President of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, she has played an integral role in helping to transition our athletic department towards Division I membership. She truly deserves this award, and we, and all the multitudes who focus on WSSU athletics, are truly proud of what she has accomplished in life thus far, and will be watching as she accomplishes even more great things." Tonia Walker, WSSU Associate AD/Senior Woman Administrator

As part of the Woman of the Year weekend of activities, honorees will be working with youth and the Association's character-building program Stay in Bounds at the NCAA Hall of Champions.

This year's state winners were chosen from a pool of 352 nominations, 76 more than in 2004 and the most since 2000, when there also were 352 candidates for the honor. The pool showed an increase in diversity as well, specifically in African-American, international, Asian/Pacific Islander and Latina/Hispanic student-athletes.

Division I submitted 188 applications. Fifty-six nominations came from Division II and 111 were received from Division III. The numbers represent increases in submissions for all three divisions over last year, with Division I submitting 50 more applications and Divisions II and III registering more modest gains at 14 and 15, respectively.

Davis, who is an inspiring story of academic and athletic success, is the second WSSU female student athlete to garner NCAA Woman of the Year State Finalist honors. Shannon's sister Heather was selected as the NCAA Woman of Year State Finalist for the State of North Carolina last season making 2005 the second consecutive year that Winston-Salem State University has earned finalist honors.

Commenting on the selection of Davis as a state finalist from the state of North Carolina, WSSU Associate Director of Athletics, and Senior Woman Administrator, Tonia Walker, said the following:

"As an Athletic Department and a University as a whole, we are honored that Shannon has been selected as the State Finalist for the State of North Carolina, marking the second time and second consecutive year that an individual from our institution has been chosen as a state finalist. Last year it was her sister Heather, and this year, it is Shannon. Personally, I am not surprised in the least at the selection of Shannon as a finalist. She exemplifies not only what a student-athlete is, but what a quality person is. She is not only a standout athlete and student, but a standout person with exceptional character. As the President of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, she has played an integral role in helping to transition our athletic department towards Division I membership. She truly deserves this award, and we, and all the multitudes who focus on WSSU athletics, are truly proud of what she has accomplished in life thus far, and will be watching as she accomplishes even more great things."

Davis, an All-CIAA performer on the softball diamond and on the bowling lanes, will look to be named one of the ten finalists for the award when the finalists are announced in the coming weeks and ultimately looks to join Kelly Albin, a lacrosse student-athlete from the University of California, Davis, who was recognized as the 2004 NCAA Woman of the Year. Albin is the third winner from UC Davis since the award's inception in 1991. The University of Georgia also has produced three national award winners.

For additional information on Shannon Davis or to arrange an interview, contact the WSSU Office of Sports Information at (336) 750-2143. For additional information on the NCAA Woman of the Year Award, log on to the web at www.ncaa.org/woty