Women’s Sports Foundation Honors Troxel, May-Treanor, Walsh

Women’s Sports Foundation Names Troxel Sportswoman Of The Year

The WOMEN’S SPORTS FOUNDATION (WSF) during its annual Salute to Women in Sports Awards Dinner last night presented the Sportswoman of the Year award to NHRA driver MELANIE TROXEL in the individual category and AVP players MISTY MAY-TREANOR and KERRI WALSH for team sports. Wheelchair racer JEAN DRISCOLL received the Wilma Rudolph Courage Award and the late DOROTHY GULBENKIAN BLANEY was honored with the Billie Jean King Contribution Award. Also planning to be in attendance were LPGA Commissioner CAROLYN BIVENS, WNBA President DONNA ORENDER, Gatorade CMO CINDY ALSTEN and Pepsi CMO DAWN HUDSON BEECH. Meanwhile the Int’l Women’s Sports HOF announced the following inductees: former Australian Olympian SHANE GOULD, IOC member and former Moroccan Olympian NAWAL EL MOUTAWAKEL, former U.S. Olympian DIANA NYAD and Rutgers Univ. women’s basketball coach C. VIVIAN STRINGER (THE DAILY).

MORE TROXEL: Troxel appeared on CBS’ “The Early Show” this morning, where she said the NHRA “has always been ahead of the curve as far as women involved. So, it’s nice to have grown up around that: seeing women competing and winning drag racing. And I really think that’s what the Women’s Sports Foundation wants to do is give all young girls that opportunity to see women competing” (“The Early Show,” CBS, 10/17). Troxel is also profiled in USA Today (THE DAILY).