The 24th Annual WHAM Sportwomen of the Year Awards Luncheon was a sellout on Monday, April 29 at the Sheraton Four Points Hotel in downtown Rochester with 721 people on hand to honor the area's top female athletes and contributors to women's sports programs for 2001-2002. The highlight of the luncheon, which raises funds for the Heart of Gold Children's Foundation, was the presentation of the local high school, college, and at-large WHAM Sportswomen of the Year awards. The criteria for their selection was athletic excellence from April 2001 through March 2002, overall career athletic achievements, and academic performance/community involvement. The high school recipient was senior swimmer Holly Williams of Palmyra-Macedon High School. Junior Christa Downey of Nazareth College repeated as the recipient of the College Sportswoman of the Year Award. The at-large (non-high school or college participant) Sportswoman of the Year Award was won by Churchville's Lyndsay Wall, who played defense on the 2002 U.S. Olympic Women's Ice Hockey Team that earned a Silver Medal. At 16, the youngest hockey team member ever to compete in the Olympics, she was also the youngest American athlete at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. She is a junior at Churchville-Chili High School. Presenting the awards was the luncheon's featured speaker, Penn State head women's baseketball coach Rene Portland. Awards were also presented to those who have made special contributions to local women's sporting activities. Terry Gurnett, a Spencerport resident and the head women's soccer coach at the University of Rochester, received the Jack Palvino Award for outstanding support and contributions to local women's sports. |
