NEW YORK – The Women’s Sports Foundation’s Annual Salute to Women in Sports is the premier awards event dedicated to the female athlete.  For 28 years, the world’s leading women’s sports and fitness organization has brought together celebrities, government officials, business elite and champion athletes at the Waldorf=Astoria to salute the world’s most outstanding female sports figures.  This year, Grammy winner Sheryl Crow, Academy Award winner Holly Hunter and athletes like Laila Ali will be among those on hand to witness the announcement of Monica Abbott and Lorena Ochoa as the Foundation’s 2007 Sportswomen of the Year; Michelle Kwan as the Billie Jean King Contribution Award winner; and the Rutgers Women’s Basketball Team as the Wilma Rudolph Courage Award recipients.

A record-setting 9,400 sports enthusiasts voted on SportsWomanVote.com to select Abbott and Ochoa as Sportswomen of the Year (Team and Individual, respectively).  These women are being heralded for their athletic accomplishments between August 1, 2006, and July 31, 2007.

An integral member of the University of Tennessee (UT) softball line-up, Abbott set the record for the most strikeouts in a single NCAA Division I softball season and an NCAA-best 50 wins (50-5 record), a 0.68 ERA and 29 shutouts.  That impressive season-long resume earned Abbott the 2007 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, 2006-2007 Roy F. Kramer SEC Female Athlete of the Year and Honda Award in softball honors.  She led UT to a third consecutive Women’s College World Series and ended her remarkable 2007 senior season as the new NCAA Division I record holder for wins (189), strikeouts (2,440), shutouts (112), appearances (253) and innings pitched (1,448.0).  As a member of the U.S. National Women’s Softball Team, Abbott posted a team-best 6-0 record in seven appearances.  In 26.2 innings pitched, Abbott allowed only one run on 13 hits.  She placed third on the team with 46 strikeouts and was the only pitcher who allowed no walks during her appearances.  Her skills on the mound helped lead the team to three gold medals, including one at the Pan American Games.

In her magical 2006 season, Lorena Ochoa was named Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year, the Rolex Player of the Year and the Golf Writers Association of America Female Player of the Year. Ochoa surpassed golf hall-of-famer and 2004 Sportswoman of the Year, Annika Sorenstam, to become the Rolex Ranking No. 1 player in women’s golf on April 23, 2007.  The distinction was based on the strength of her six wins in 2006 and five top-10 finishes in her first six starts of the 2007 season. Her 11^th career win earned her a $210,000 paycheck, which pushed her earnings to $7,034,829, making her the fastest player in LPGA history to cross the $7 million mark.  Many have likened Ochoa to Tiger Woods for her close family ties, her prowess on the course at a young age and her remarkable rise in rankings in such a short time.  However, the most significant parallel is that both introduced golf to new audiences.  Ochoa is recognized for introducing golf to Latin America, a region previously relatively unaware of the sport.  Ochoa, now an icon in her native Mexico, was Mexico’s Female Athlete of the Year for 2006.

Olympic gold medalist Michelle Kwan has grown up with the Women’s Sports Foundation.  The most decorated figure skater in U.S. history, Kwan, received a Travel & Training grant from the Foundation in 1993 so that she may pursue her passion.  The grant certainly paid off for Kwan as she won an unprecedented 43 championships, including two Olympic medals. five world championships and eight consecutive and nine overall U.S. national championships.  In 2003, she earned her seventh U.S. Figure Skating Skater of the Year award; resulting in U.S. Figure Skating renaming the award in her honor.  However, it is her work off the ice that makes Kwan a worthy recipient of the Billie Jean King Contribution Award. The award is given to an athlete who has made significant contributions to the development of women’s sports and to the Women’s Sports Foundation and has demonstrated lasting commitment and dedication to the growth of women’s physical activity.  In 2006,  U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice named Kwan the U.S’s first Public Diplomacy Envoy.  In this capacity, Kwan travels the world and meets with young people to speak about leadership and to engage them in dialogue on social and educational issues.

Each year, the Women’s Sports Foundation gives the Wilma Rudolph Courage Award to a female athlete(s) who exhibits extraordinary courage, surmounts adversity, meaningfully contributes to sports and inspires others.  When recapping this past year, it was apparent that the Rutgers Women’s Basketball Team encapsulated the spirit of this award.  This group of women, comprised of mostly freshmen, got their season off to a slow start with a 2-4 record.  However, one game at a time, the team committed to defense, got focused and ultimately made it to the Final Four.  Although they did not clinch the NCAA title, they were the team that brought Rutgers to the Final Four for only the second time in the school’s history. Days after their historic journey to Cleveland, without provocation, these top female athletes were on the receiving end of an infamous verbal assault.  At first, it seemed the insults would overshadow the accomplishments of this come-from-behind team.  Instead, these determined, plain-spoken athletes captured the hearts of a nation.  The Rutgers team became the model for athletic prowess, teamwork and good sportsmanship; and by being themselves, the players managed to make their tormentor look small by comparison.  All of which will be what we ultimately remember about the 2006-07 Scarlet Knights.

The Women’s Sports Foundation’s 28^th Annual Salute to Women in Sport is being co-presented by Advanta, ESPN and Gatorade.  With their support and the participation of more than 60 champion female athletes, tonight’s event will raise more than $1 million for grassroots programming for girls’ sports.

 About the Women’s Sports Foundation

Founded in 1974 by Billie Jean King, the Women’s Sports Foundation is a national charitable educational organization seeking to advance the lives of girls and women through sports and physical activity. The Foundation’s Participation, Education, Advocacy, Research and Leadership Programs are made possible by gifts from individuals, foundations and corporations.  For more information, please call the Foundation at (800) 227-3988.  You can also visit our Web site at www.WomensSportsFoundation.org .