2003 UNC Women Honored in NCAA Centennial Celebration

As part of the NCAA's Centennial Celebration, a panel consisting of college and university presidents, athletics directors, NCAA committe members, conference office representatives, SAAC representatives and NCAA staff have determined the 25 Most Defining Moments in NCAA history. The University of North Carolina women's soccer program has been named to this exclusive list, earning inclusion for the 2003 NCAA championship team which won the 18th title for Carolina in the sport over a period of just 23 years.

The 2003 Tar Heel team was won of the most dominant teams in NCAA soccer history as it finished 27-0 and outscored its opponents 32-0 in six NCAA Tournament games. Under the direction of legendary head coach Anson Dorrance, the 2003 Tar Heels rank as the only women's soccer team in NCAA Division I to finish a season unbeaten and untied over the past 12 seasons.

The NCAA Centennial is a yearlong celebration of the student-athlete. The celebration began in January 2006 at the NCAA Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana, and will continue throughout the year. NCAA member schools, conferences and communities will play vital roles in the celebration by participating in special events in conjunction with NCAA championships and campus and community events that commemorate 100 years of the student-athlete.

All NCAA members were given the opportunity to nominate significant moments and outstanding student-athletes that are being highlighted in network programming produced by ESPN. The NCAA and ESPN have collaborated on two projects to honor student-athletes during the Centennial year. As part of the Centennial celebration in 2006, ESPN will air two one-hour programs highlighting the 100 Most Influential NCAA Student-Athletes. The network has also produced and aired 25, 30-second vignettes drawing attention to the "greatest moments" in NCAA history.

-- Jarrett @ 2/15/2006 09:28:00 AM