Feb. 20, 2002
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The national champion Santa Clara University women's soccer team has accepted an invitation to visit the White House as part of a six-team championship celebration reception with President George W. Bush on March 12, University officials announced today.
The 22-member Bronco women's soccer team is one of six intercollegiate national championship teams invited to travel to Washington, D.C. and take part in the celebration, which will be held in the Rose Garden at a time yet to be determined.
The University of Miami (Fla.) baseball and football teams, the University of North Carolina men's soccer team, the University of Arizona softball team and the Stanford University women's volleyball team were also invited to attend, according to the White House.
"To receive an invitation to visit the White House and meet the President of the United States is a tremendous honor for our University and for our women's soccer team," said SCU Director of Athletics Cheryl L. Levick. "This will be an event that each of our student-athletes and coaches will remember throughout their lifetimes. It is so rewarding to see our team and our entire university continue to reap the rewards of national recognition after winning the NCAA championship."
The Santa Clara University women's soccer team won the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championship in Dallas on Dec. 9 with a 1-0 victory over the University of North Carolina. The title marked the first NCAA national championship for a women's team at SCU and climaxed the Broncos' eighth overall trip to the College Cup, women's soccer's version of the NCAA Final Four.
It has been a year of additional national honors for the team. Head coach Jerry Smith was named the national coach of the year, while junior Aly Wagner earned national player of the year honors. Senior Danielle Slaton, the only collegiate member of the U.S. Olympic Team that competed in the Sydney Games, was the first-overall selection in the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) professional league draft. Several other players also received local, conference and national recognition for their individual and team achievements.
About Santa Clara University Department of Athletics & Recreation The Santa Clara University Department of Athletics and Recreation is a broad-based, 17-sport intercollegiate athletic program that is a member of the West Coast Conference and the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Bronco sports teams won three conference championships during the fall season and finished second in two others and is among the top-20 in standings for the annual Sears Cup awarded to the highest achieving athletic department in the nation.
About Santa Clara University Santa Clara University is a comprehensive Jesuit, Catholic university in California's Silicon Valley offering undergraduate, master's and law degrees. Its 4,300 undergraduate and 3,100 graduate students engage in scholarship and research that are expressions of ethics, leadership and social justice. For more information, see www.scu.edu.