Aug. 24, 2000
TEMPE, Ariz. - Former Arizona State University swimmer Carolyn Adel has been named the NCAA Woman of the Year for the state of Arizona, making her a candidate for the 2000 NCAA Woman of the Year award, the NCAA announced today.
Award winners representing each state and the District of Columbia will be narrowed down to 10 finalists in September. The national winner will be announced at the 2000 NCAA Woman of the Year Dinner, presented by Rawlings, Oct. 15 at the Indiana Roof Ballroom in Indianapolis.
The award honors outstanding female student-athletes who have excelled in academics, athletics and community leadership. More than 350 student-athletes were nominated for this year's award by their colleges and universities.
A committee comprised of representatives from member schools selected the state winners, while the NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics will select the national winner from among the 10 finalists.
Adel, a star swimmer for ASU from 1997-2000, will represent her native country, Suriname, in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney this fall. This will be Adel's second trip to the Olympics, after she competed in the 400 individual medley for Suriname in the 1996 games in Atlanta. She has been a member of Suriname's National Team since 1996 and was named Suriname Sports Woman of the Year in 1997.
A four-time All-American for the Sun Devils, Adel set school records in both the 200 and 400 individual medley at the Texas Invitational last year with times of 2:00.29 and 4:13.05, respectively. Adel culminated her collegiate career among the all-time top 10 performances in ASU history in seven events (100 freestyle, 1000 Free, 200 Free, 500 Free, 1650 Free, 200 IM and 400 IM).
In addition to her athletic achievements, Adel has a 3.45 GPA and is an accounting/marketing major. After taking this fall off for the Olympics, she is expected to graduate in December 2001. Adel earned first-team Pac-10 All-Academic honors in 1999-2000, and second-team honors in 1997-1998. Winner of a Pac-10 post-graduate scholarship this past year, Adel was also a CoSIDA Academic All-American from 1998-2000.
Adel has also worked as a volunteer for the Special Olympics and an Arizona State youth swimming teacher, and has been involved in the National Youth Sports Program, Autumn House and the Women in Sports Clinic.
Previous NCAA Woman of the Year winners include: 1999 - Jamila Demby, track and field, UC Davis, 1998 - Peggy Boutilier, lacrosse and field hockey, Virginia, 1997 - the late Lisa Ann Coole, swimming and diving, Georgia, 1996 - Billie Winsett-Fletcher, volleyball, Nebraska, 1995 - Rebecca Lobo, basketball, Connecticut, 1994 - Tanya Jones, track and field, Arizona, 1993 - Nnenna Lynch, track and cross country, Villanova, 1992 - Catherine Byrne, swimming and diving, Tennessee, 1991 - Mary Beth Riley, track and field, Canisius College.