VIRGINIA'S STALEY CAPS GREAT YEAR

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, January 11, 1992                   TAG: 9201110041
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: ANAHEIM, CALIF.                                LENGTH: Medium
VIRGINIA'S STALEY CAPS GREAT YEAR
Dawn Staley, who led the University of Virginia into last season's NCAA women's basketball championship game, on Thursday night was selected winner of the Honda-Broderick Cup as the nation's outstanding female collegiate athlete.
The announcement was made at the annual Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year dinner, which is held in association with the National Association of College Directors of Athletics.
"I would like to thank the people who voted for me and the University of Virginia for giving me the opportunity to live up to the billing of student-athlete," Staley said. "I accept this award on behalf of my team, my coaches and the University of Virginia. Most importantly, I want to thank God for giving me the strength to perform night in and night out."
The award capped off a phenomenal season for the MVP of last year's Final Four, who earned player-of-the-year honors from Sports Illustrated, Naismith, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association and the ACC. The senior guard from Philadelphia also set a Virginia season record with 235 assists and holds five career statistical marks at the school.
Staley is the 16th winner of the award. She beat out 10 other candidates, each a Honda Award winner in a different sport. Selections were made by a national vote involving the more than 800 NCAA-member schools.
Basketball player Tracy Saunders of Norfolk State was selected the top Division II athlete, and basketball player Ann Gilbert of Oberlin College was honored in Division III.
Cross country runner Tracy Nichols of Vassar was the winner of the Honda Inspiration Award. She suffers from pandysautonomia, a rare nerve disorder that makes her unable to perspire and affects her vision on sunny days.
Other candidates for Staley's award were Leigh Ann Fetter (swimming and diving) and Carlette Guidry (track and field) from Texas; and the Stanford duo of Sandra Birch (tennis) and Beverly Ogden (volleyball); UCLA's Lisa Fernandez (softball); golfer Amy Hooks of Amherst; gymnast Hope Spivey of Georgia; Santa Clara's Brandi Chastain (soccer), Wisconsin's Suzy Favor (cross country) and Temple's Jane Catanzaro (field hockey).

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB