Sept. 14, 2004

Indianapolis, IN-The NCAA announced on Tuesday the Woman of the Year award state finalists representing the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, and it has been announced that former WSSU standout softball player Heather Davis (Detroit, MI) has been chosen as the state finalist representing the state of North Carolina. This prestigious award honors outstanding female student-athletes who have excelled in academics, athletics and community leadership, and have completed their collegiate athletics eligibility.

Colleges and universities nominated 276 student-athletes for this year's award. A committee comprised of representatives from member schools selected the state winners.

Each NCAA member institution was encouraged to submit a nominee. In fact, schools were allowed to submit the names of two nominees if one was an ethnic minority. The selection committee then reviewed the nominees' academic and athletics accomplishments and community service involvement.

Those chosen as state winners are truly exceptional young women. Of the 52 finalists, 13 competed on national championship teams. Nearly 45 were selected as athletic all-Americans and more than 40 were named academic all-Americans. More than 40 served as their team captains or co-captains. Eighteen were multi-sport athletes. Eleven received NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships. Twenty-five represented their fellow student-athletes on their campus Student-Athlete Advisory Committees (SAAC); four served on conference student-athlete committees.

In addition, they found time to help in their communities, volunteering for a wide variety of organizations, including hospitals, soup kitchens and the Special Olympics. They helped adults and children learn to read; volunteered at food, clothing and gift drives; helped raise awareness and funds to fight breast cancer; served on committees planning campus policies; and took mission trips overseas. The state winners had an overall grade point average (GPA) of 3.77, with seven posting perfect 4.0 GPAs. They graduated with a variety of majors, including education, exercise science, political science, chemistry, biology, math, philosophy, art history, psychology, Spanish, aerospace engineering, international business, business administration, business management, marketing, journalism, accounting, animal science/pre-veterinarian, food science, women's studies and telecommunications.

The state-level winners include 30 student-athletes from Division I; 11 student-athletes from Division II; and 11 student-athletes from Division III. These student-athletes participated in 12 of the 20 sports in which women compete for NCAA championships - basketball, cross country, rowing, gymnastics, lacrosse, softball, skiing, soccer, swimming, indoor and outdoor track and volleyball.

A national winner - the NCAA Woman of the Year - will be selected by the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics from among 10 finalists. The top 10 finalists will be announced September 15.

The national winner will be announced at the 2004 NCAA Woman of the Year dinner Sunday, October 31, at The Indianapolis Westin. This is the fourteenth year that this award - one of the top honors the NCAA bestows - will be given.

Last year's national winner was Ashley Rowatt, a swimming and diving standout from Kenyon College, a Division III school in Gambier, Ohio. She was the first student-athlete in Division III to win the award.

Davis, who graduated last May from Winston-Salem State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in business (marketing concentration), was not only a standout softball player, but standout student and person at WSSU. She was a four-time All-CIAA selection in softball as well as being a Dean's List student in the classroom as she graduated with a cumulative grade point average of 3.8.

"As an Athletic Department and a University as a whole, we are honored that an individual from our institution has been chosen as a state finalist. However, on a personal level, we are not surprised in the least at the selection of Heather as a finalist. She exemplifies not only what a student-athlete should be like, but what a quality person should be like. She was not only a standout athlete and student, but a standout person with exceptional character. 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." Associate Director Of Athletics and Senior Woman Administrator, Tonia Walker

She was an active member of Beta Gamma Sigma, Delta Sigma Theta and the WSSU honors program as well as having served as the Vice-President of the WSSU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and serving on the WSSU Scholarship Loan Committee.

Davis came to WSSU by way of Detroit Renaissance High School and Phillips Academy (Andover, MA) where she excelled in academics and athletics. She was born in Detroit, MI on March 21st, 1981.

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 an individual from our institution has been chosen as a state finalist. However, on a personal level, we are not surprised in the least at the selection of Heather as a finalist. She exemplifies not only what a student-athlete should be like, but what a quality person should be like. She was not only a standout athlete and student, but a standout person with exceptional character. 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."

For more information on Heather Davis, the NCAA Woman of the Year Award or to arrange an interview, please contact the WSSU Office of Sports Information at (336) 750-2143.

Other past winners include: 2002 - Tanisha Silas, track and field, University of California, Davis; 2001 - Kimberly A. Black, swimmer, University of Georgia; 2000 - Kristy Kowal, Olympic gold medal swimmer, University of Georgia; 1999 - Jamila Demby, track and field, University of California, Davis; 1998 - Peggy Boutilier, lacrosse and field hockey, University of Virginia; 1997 - the late Lisa Ann Coole, swimming, University of Georgia; 1996 - Billie Winsett Fletcher, volleyball, University of Nebraska, Lincoln; 1995 - Rebecca Lobo, basketball, University of Connecticut; 1994 - Tanya Hughes Jones, track and field, University of Arizona; 1993 - Nnenna Jean Lynch, cross country and track and field, Villanova University; 1992 - Catherine Byrne Maloney, swimming, University of Tennessee, Knoxville; and 1991 - Mary Beth Riley-Metcalf, cross country, Canisius College.