University of Tennessee Athletics
KARA LAWSON HONORED AT NCAA WOMAN OF THE YEAR CEREMONY
November 02, 2003 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 2, 2003
Photo Gallery from Kara's big night
Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.
Despite a resume full of outstanding achievements on the court, in the classroom and in the community, Kara Lawson was not chosen as the NCAA Woman of the Year in Saturday night's award ceremony in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Ashley Jo Rowatt, a 13-time All-American and five-time NCAA swimming champion at Kenyon College, was selected Saturday as NCAA Woman of the Year.
Rowatt, who graduated from the school in Gambier, Ohio, in May, is the first Division III winner in the award's 13-year history.
"Someone told me earlier today that no other Division III athlete had won, so I thought it either isn't going to happen, or it's time," she said. "It's always nice to have great races, but this is special because it is a continuity of academic and athletic achievement. This is great."
The Louisville, Ky., native was a two-time Division III champion in the 400-yard individual medley and in the 800-yard freestyle relay. She also won a 200-yard individual medley title.
Rowatt is a four-time North Coast Athletic Conference champion. She helped Kenyon win the Division III championship in 2000, 2002 and 2003, and last year set an NCAC record of 4 minutes, 28.42 seconds in the 400 individual medley.
Rowatt credited former Olympian Mary T. Meagher with much of her success.
"Mary always said, `Work harder than hard.' I learned that mentality from athletics, but it has carried over to everything else, Rowatt said."
She also thanked her parents and her coaches at Kenyon.
"They put the thought in my head that I could win this," Rowatt said. "And they were right."
Rowatt, who graduated summa cum laude with highest honors in molecular biology, is attending medical school at Vanderbilt.
She was chosen from a field of 350 nominees. A selection committee of representatives from member schools chose 50 winners representing each state, then narrowed the field to 10 finalists.
The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics selected Rowatt from among the finalists.
The other finalists were Kara Lawson, a WNBA rookie with Sacramento who played on three Final Four basketball teams at Tennessee; Kristin Sterner of Alabama, gymnastics; Susan Churchwell of California-Davis, softball; Elia Burrill of Air Force, fencing; Victoria Courmes of Barry University, tennis; Melissa Jones of Monmouth, volleyball, basketball and track and field; Tiffany Kyser of IUPUI, basketball; Joanna Hingle of Duke, rowing; and Erika Paige Proko of Washington and Lee, tennis.
There is no similar NCAA award for men.
