Leading Women

SI Staff | Apr 17, 2007

Leading Women /

Leading Women

With Rutgers in the spotlight on the heels of its first ever national championship game appearance, here's a look at the Scarlet Knights and some other outstanding women's teams and athletes.

NCAA Basketball

Led by All-America Candace Parker and coached by Pat Summitt, the all-time winningest coach in NCAA history, Tennessee won its seventh national title earlier this month. Parker scored 17 points and grabbed 7 rebounds and was named the most outstanding player of the Final Four.

Melanie Troxel

Named the Sportswoman of the Year by Billie Jean King's Women's Sports Foundation, Troxel won two NHRA Top Fuel events last season. She was nominated for two ESPY awards in 2006 (best driver and best female athlete).

Lidiya Grigoryeva

She became the third Russian and first since 2003 to win Boston's famed marathon, finishing in a time of 2:29.18.

Serena Williams

The reigning Australian Open champion has won eight Grand Slam championships, including her sterling performance earlier this year, when she went to Australia unseeded and capped an amazing fortnight by dismantling top-seeded Maria Sharapova in the final.

Kimmie Meisner

The swift, graceful 17-year old is the reigning U.S. women's champion and 2006 world champion. She continued her year-long roll by winning the gold at the Four Continents Championship in Colorado Springs on Feb. 10.

Deanna Nolan

The reigning WNBA Finals MVP, Nolan (14) averaged 17.8 points per game while leading the Detroit Shock to the 2006 league title, its second championship in four years.

NCAA Hockey

Behind the steady netminding of sophomore Jessie Vetter, reigning champion Wisconsin won its second straight championship in March with a 3-0 victory over Minnesota Duluth.

Maria Sharapova

Sharapova -- a top earner from endorsements and modeling -- has a game to match her glamorous looks, ascending to the rank of the world's No. 1 female player since winning the 2004 WTA Player of the Year Award. The reigning U.S. Open champ also won the 2004 Wimbledon title.

NCAA Volleyball

Reigning champion Washington became the school's third program to win a national title and only the second team to sweep through the NCAA tournament. The Huskies didn't lose a game in six matches.

Annika Sorenstam

The LPGA's answer to Tiger Woods, the world's No. 1 female golfer began 2007 with 10 major titles among her 69 career wins, six Player of Year awards and more than $20 million in tour earnings. She won her 10th major and third U.S. Open last year by dominating Pat Hurst in an 18-hole playoff at Newport, R.I.

Amelie Mauresmo

The greatest female tennis player never to win a Grand Slam singles event actually won two in 2006, finally putting to rest the notion that she doesn't have what it takes to win the big one. Mauresmo defeated Justine Henin-Hardenne in both the 2006 Wimbledon and Australian Open finals.

NCAA Field Hockey

Reigning champion Maryland defeated rival Duke 1-0 to win the school's fourth field hockey championship. Junior midfielder Paula Infante was a rock for the Terps all season, winning National Player of the Year honors.

Danica Patrick

The first woman to ever lead a lap at the Indianapolis 500, Patrick is in her third season in America's top open-wheel series. She has yet to reach Victory Lane, but a new team (Andretti Green Racing) should give her a better chance this year.

NCAA Gymnastics

The reigning champion Georgia Bulldogs have won the title seven times in 23 championship appearances. They successfully defended their title last year by scoring a season high 49.65 on vault in the final event.

Justine Henin

The reigning French Open champion became the first woman since 1994 to win the tournament without losing a set. It was her fifth Grand Slam title and third at Roland Garros.

NCAA Soccer

Reigning champion Portland capped an unbeaten season (24-0-2) to win its second national title in three years. The Pilot, which became the only team other than North Carolina to remain undefeated while winning the championship, were led by Christine Sinclair, who set the tournament's all-time goal-scoring record, with 25.

Erin Crocker

She's the only woman to compete full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and this year she will drive an Evernham Motorsports Dodge in both the ARCA and NASCAR Busch Series. Crocker, who started her career in open-wheel racing, is the only female to win a World of Outlaws race.

Michelle Wie

At 12, she was the youngest player ever to qualify for an LPGA tournament. Since then she's played in 46 pro tournaments and is one of the most recognizable women's golfers in the world.

Se Ri Pak

The reigning LPGA champion overcame a three-putt bogey on the 18th hole to win last year's tournament for the first time since 2004. She's the fifth three-time winner of the LPGA Championship.

NCAA Lacrosse

Reigning champion Northwestern rolled to its second consecutive title by defeating Dartmouth 7-4. Sarah Albrecht tallied two second-half goals on the way to winning tournament MVP honors.

Karrie Steinhauer

The reigning women's British Open champion won her second major and first since 1992 by shooting a 7-under, 281 at Lytham St. Annes, England, last year.

NCAA Tennis

Reigning champion Stanford has appeared in the title match 20 times in the 25-year history of the championship. The team posted a 4-1 victory over Miami to claim its third straight and 15th overall team title last year.

Milka Duno

In late January, Duno and her CITGO Racing team finished second in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the highest podium finish for a female driver in the 45-year history of the 24 Hours of Daytona. The Venezuelan native is in her fourth year of competing in the Rolex Sports Car Series Championship. She is expected to join the IndyCar Series in April.

NCAA Swimming/Diving

Reigning champion Auburn used a huge rally on the final night to defend its team title and win its fifth championship in the last six years.

Sarah Fisher

Her second-place finish in the IRL race at Homestead in 2001 remains the best result for a woman driver in Indy-style racing. Having spent the previous three seasons driving mostly in stock car events, Fisher signed with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and is back to the IndyCar Series.

Morgan Pressel

The 18-year-old Pressel became the youngest woman to win a women's major when she shot a final-round 69 on April 2 to finish three-under par for the Kraft Nabisco Championship. She defeated Brittany Lincicome, Catriona Matthew and Suzann Pettersen by one shot.

Published Apr 17, 2007

SI STAFF