Dec. 8, 2000

Chapel Hill - Freshman cross-country runner, Shalane Flanagan, was nominated to receive the 2000-2001 Cross-Country Honda Award. Honda sponsors awards for the top competitors in each woman's collegiate sport, and an overall winner is selected each year to receive the

Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year. Flanagan is one of four finalists nominated for the award, which includes Kara Gragas-Wheeler of the University of Colorado, Sabrina Monro of the University of Montana and Erica Palmer of the University of Wisconsin.

Flanagan just completed an outstanding cross-country season, placing fourth at the NCAA Cross Country Championship which was the highest finish of a female in Carolina history. She also earned All-America honors for her performance. Flanagan also captured both 2000 ACC Championship and the NCAA Southeast Regional title and was named ACC performer of the week three times.

This year's recipient will be announced on December 5. The winner will then attend the NACDA convention on June 11, 2001 in Salt Lake City, Utah and become a nominee for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year Award.

In the honor of Flanagan's selection as a nominee, the Honda Awards Program will donate $1000 to the women's athletic fund at UNC. The only other cross-country Honda Award recipient from Carolina was Julia Shea who received the honor in 1981.