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1998 — Dual sport athlete Peggy Boutil- ier (field hockey and lacrosse) was Virginia's first NCAA Woman of the Year. Established in 1991, the award recognizes female student- athletes who have exhausted their eligibil- ity and distinguished themselves in their community, in athletics and in academics throughout their college careers. It is one of the highest honors that the NCAA bestows on student-athletes. 2002 — Julie Williams was the first fe- male Virginia athlete to be inducted to their sport's National Hall of Fame, being named to the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame. 2004 — Women's lacrosse won the pro- gram's third NCAA title and Virginia's 13th overall national championship. The cham- pionship made head coach Julie Myers the first person in women's lacrosse history at the Division I level to win an NCAA champi- onship as a player and a head coach since she was a player on the team's 1991 cham- pionship team. 2004 — Staley earned her third Olympic gold medal at the Athens Olympic Games in women's basketball after defeating Aus- tralia 74-63 in the finals. This made her the most decorated UVA Olympic athlete in all sports, in both medals and gold medals. 2008 — Ryan was inducted into the Wom- en's Basketball Hall of Fame. She retired from coaching at UVA in 2011 after winning 739 games, earning 11 regular-season ACC titles, seven ACC Coach of the Year awards, and three ACC Tournament championships after beginning her career at Virginia in 1977. 2009 — Women's basketball vs. Tennes- see became the highest attended women's home event in UVA history on Nov. 22, draw- ing a total of 11,895 fans. 2012 — Swimmer Lauren Perdue earned a gold medal as a member of the 4x200- meter freestyle relay at the London Olympic games. She finished her collegiate career in 2013 with 18 ACC individual champion- ships, 16 All-America selections and was named ACC Swimmer of the Year in 2010, 2011 and 2013. 2013 — Staley was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, the first Cavalier of either gender to be so honored. 2015 — Women's soccer standout Morgan Brian became the first female Virginia athlete to be selected No. 1 overall in a draft, being selected by the Houston Dash in the NWSL. 2015 — Brian and Becky Sauerbrunn be- came the first two female Virginia athletes to win a World Cup, beating Japan 5-2 in the final. 2015-16 — Women's swimmer Leah Smith won back-to-back NCAA individual CAVALIER STANDOUTS BY DECADE The University of Virginia has many tremendous female student-athletes over the past five de- cades. Here is a quick look at 50 of the best, 10 from each of the past five decades: 1970s: Dorothy Dilts, Swimming (1974-78) Dilts became the first female athlete at Vir- ginia to earn All-America honors, earning five such accolades during her time at the Uni- versity. She graduated holding three individual and five relay school records. Honorable Mention: Margaret Groos, cross country (1977-80); Wendy Weinberg, swimming (1976-78); Aileen O'Conner, cross country (1979-82); Laura Garner, tennis (1979-82); Heather Dow, lacrosse and field hockey (1979-82); Cindy Carzo, field hockey (1977-80); Beth Bondurant, tennis (1975-78); Deb- bie (Lotz) Walker, basketball (1971-73); and Mar- tha White, cross country (1979-82). 1980s: Lesley Welch, Cross Country (1979-83) Welch became the first ever female athlete at the University to win an individual national championship, as well as claim- ing an ACC individual title. She graduated with two NCAA and ACC team championships, four All-America selections, as well as winning the Honda Sports Award in 1983, a national award given to the best collegiate female athlete. Honorable Mention: Donna Holt, basketball (1985-88); Sonja Fridy, track and field (1985-87); Beth O'Conner, swimming (1980-83); Elaine Maddox, lacrosse and field hockey (1984-87); Dana Boone, track and field (1988-91); Betsy O'Donnell, swimming (1986-89); Mela- nie Valerio, swimming (1988-91); Sudi Miller, swimming (1985-88); and Gail Bryant, track and field (1982-85). 1990s: Dawn Staley, Basketball (1989-92) During her time at Virginia, Staley led the Cavaliers to four NCAA Tournament appearances, including three Final Fours and one national cham- pionship game. She is second all time in points scored for Virginia with 2,135 and her No. 24 jersey has been retired. At the national team level, Staley has won three gold medals as a player and three as a coach. She is now head coach of the women's basketball program at South Carolina, where she has won two NCAA titles. Honorable Mention: Peggy Boutilier, field hockey (1995-98); Angela Hucles, soccer (1996-99); Wendy Palmer, basketball (1993-96); Cherie Greer, lacrosse (1991-94); Claire Forbes, track and field (1990-93); Lori Mastropietro, field hockey (1995-98); Michelle Cusimano, lacrosse (1993-96); Eileen Schmidt, softball (1991-94); and Angela Lee, track and field (1996-99). Susie Williams earned seven varsity letters between field hockey and lacrosse from 1985-89. (Photo courtesy UVA) Lesley Welch won the 1982 NCAA individual cross country title and led UVA to back-to-back NCAA team championships in 1981 and 1982. (Photo courtesy UVA) 12 CAVALIER CORNER