Miami honors 11 student-athletes at Celebration of Women’s Athletics
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – More than 330 supporters packed the Watsco Center Fieldhouse Sunday for the University of Miami’s third annual Celebration of Women’s Athletics.
The event, which sold out for the first time, honored current Miami female student-athletes from each of UM’s nine women’s programs for excellence on the playing field, as well as in the classroom and community.
The event raised $300,000 for the Edna Shalala Women’s Athletics Fund, which provides UM female student-athletes with first-class opportunities to compete, study and prepare themselves for life after athletics. Former UM President Donna Shalala pledged a major gift to the fund, matching all gifts up to $100,000 for the CWA.
Former Hurricanes women’s basketball standout and current Mayor of Dania Beach, Fla., Tamara James, was the event’s keynote speaker. James is the Hurricanes’ career scoring leader and was elected mayor of her hometown this past November.
The crowd was also treated to inspiring speeches from Shalala, UM President Dr. Julio Frenk, Director of Athletics Blake James, Deputy Director of Athletics/SWA Jennifer Strawley, women’s basketball head coach Katie Meier and women’s soccer student-athlete Gracie Lachowecki, who will graduate this spring with a degree in nursing. Hurricanes head football coach Mark Richt and men’s basketball coach Jim Larrañaga, as well as U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team Head Coach Jill Ellis, were also in attendance.
For more information on the Edna Shalala Women’s Athletics Fund please visit www.miami.edu/ednacshalalafund.
Below are the 2017 CWA student-athlete winners. Congratulations to all of the winners, and thank you to everyone who attended the event and continue to support women’s athletics at Miami.
Basketball: Adrienne Motley
Cross Country: Gabrielle Hesslau
Golf: Dewi Weber
Rowing- Teagan Lynch
Soccer- Gracie Lachowecki
Swimming & Diving: Angela Algee and Wally Layland
Tennis: Sinead Lohan
Track & Field: Shakima Wimbley and Ebony Morrison
Volleyball: Olga Strantzali
