Spring Fling
Not every sports hero is the subject of trade talks or
office-pool calculations. On campuses across the country, the
athletic careers of many college stars culminated with a third
strike, a sweetest stroke, a stalwart save or a gut-busting push
to the finish line. You may not recognize the faces in these
pictures from Division I national championships, but you'll have
a tough time forgetting them.
Tennis
MEN'S TEAM CHAMPION
Georgia
MEN'S SINGLES CHAMPION
Matias Boeker, Georgia
MEN'S DOUBLES CHAMPIONS
Matias Boeker and Travis Parrott, Georgia
WOMEN'S TEAM CHAMPION
Stanford
WOMEN'S SINGLES CHAMPION
Laura Granville, Stanford
WOMEN'S DOUBLES CHAMPIONS
Whitney Laiho and Jessica Lehnhoff, Florida
Volleyball
Men's Champion
BYU
Softball
CHAMPION
Arizona
Rowing
MEN'S HEAVYWEIGHT
EIGHT CHAMPION
California
WOMEN'S EIGHT CHAMPION
Washington
Lacrosse
WOMEN'S CHAMPION
Maryland
MEN'S CHAMPION
Princeton
Water Polo
WOMEN'S CHAMPION
UCLA
Golf
MEN'S TEAM CHAMPION
Florida
MEN'S INDIVIDUAL CHAMPION
Nick Gilliam, Florida
WOMEN'S TEAM CHAMPION
Georgia
WOMEN'S INDIVIDUAL CHAMPION
Candy Hannemann, Duke
Track and Field
MEN'S TEAM CHAMPION
Tennessee
WOMEN'S TEAM CHAMPION
USC
COLOR PHOTO: AL TIELEMANS Net gain Princeton goalie Trevor Tierney, whose dad, Bill, is the Tigers' coach, made this save in Princeton's 10-9 overtime title-game win against Syracuse.
COLOR PHOTO: STEPHEN MORTON Hat trick Bulldog Boeker is the third player since 1977 to win all three men's tennis championships.
COLOR PHOTO: DON LIEBIG Set 'em up Luka Slabe kept the ball alive for the Cougars as they swept UCLA in the final and won their second national title in three years.
TWO COLOR PHOTOS: DARREN CARROLL (2) Near-perfect pitch UCLA's Amanda Freed gave up only three hits to the Wildcats, but the Bruins came up short on offense. Arizona won 1-0 on the strength of a four-hitter by Jennie Finch and a fourth-inning home run by Lindsey Collins.
COLOR PHOTO: CHUCK SOLOMON Weekend cruise The Bears, loaded with international Olympic oarsmen, made quick work of the final to successfully defend their title in Camden, N.J., while the Huskies' women hung on at Lake Lanier, in Gainesville, Ga.
COLOR PHOTO: BILL FRAKES [See caption above]
COLOR PHOTO: BILL FRAKES Hard ball Alltime women's scoring leader Jen Adams helped the Terps stick it to Georgetown for Maryland's seventh title in as many years. The Terps prevailed 14-13 in double overtime. Tiger Matt Trevenen battled Syracuse face-off specialist Chris Cercy en route to Princeton's victory.
COLOR PHOTO: AL TIELEMANS [See caption above]
TWO COLOR PHOTOS: BRAD MANGIN Pool party The Bruins cheered freshman playmaker Thalia Munro (right) and celebrated their fifth crown in six years by defeating previously unbeaten Stanford 5-4.
TWO COLOR PHOTOS: DAVID WALBERG(2) Gator aid Bubba Dickerson's three-under-par 11th-place finish helped give Florida the punch it needed for an 18-stroke team victory over Clemson. Hannemann (below, left) got a hug from Reilley Rankin, the top finisher--she tied for 10th--for the champion Bulldogs.
TWO COLOR PHOTOS: PETER READ MILLER (2) Splash landing BYU senior Elizabeth Jackson was christened the first women's NCAA steeplechase champ, while Tennessee's Justin Gatlin was a double winner in the 100 (left) and 200.