For Michelle Reeser, the waiting is almost over.

A senior All-American on Alabama's 2005 NCAA Runner-up gymnastics squad, Reeser found out six weeks ago that she was one of 10 finalist for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award and Saturday night at a banquet held in Indianapolis, she'll find out if she is the first Alabama gymnast to win the overall award.

"I'm very, very excited and I have to say a little shocked," Reeser said. "It has put a really nice finish on a great four years at Alabama. I was looking forward to the trip from the start, but being a top-10 finalist makes it all the better."

In August, she was named NCAA Woman of the Year for the State of Alabama, the ninth Alabama gymnast to earn that designation, then in the middle of September, she found out she was the fourth Alabama gymnast to be named a finalist for the prestigious national award.

Reeser, who graduated in June, is an associate in the Birmingham office of the Ernst and Young Accounting Firm. In December she will transfer to firm's London office. It will be Reeser's second stint working in Great Britain after interning with Deutsche Investment Bank the summer before her senior season.

The 2005 SEC Gymnastics Scholar-Athlete of the Year will join the 51 state winners at Saturday night's banquet, including the other nine finalists.

The other finalists include: Alisha Williams, Western State College of Colorado, cross country/track and field; Leah Geib, University of Delaware, field hockey; Melissa Lehman, Barry University, volleyball; Jennifer Skolaski, University of Iowa, swimming and diving; Richelle Simpson, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, gymnastics; Deirdre Dlugonski, Pennsylvania State University, swimming and diving; Janiva Willis, Winthrop University, softball; Lauryn McCalley, University of Tennessee; Lindsay Hagerman, Washington and Lee University, tennis. The NCAA Woman of the Year will be named at the banquet.

"This is a tremendous honor for Michelle, and a well deserved one," Alabama head coach Sarah Patterson said. "She is someone who has worked extremely hard in all aspects of her life. I have always been impressed with how she has dealt with adversity and always came through stronger than before. She is a shining example of what we want this program to represent."

The NCAA Woman of the Year banquet is becoming an annual affair for Patterson and her charges. This is the fourth year in a row that an Alabama gymnast has made the trip.

"I could not be prouder of the legacy of excellence the Alabama Gymnastics program enjoys," Patterson said. "To have the past four NCAA Women of the Year for the State of Alabama and have two of those women be named top-10 finalists is awesome. And to have five state winners and four top-10 finalists in 14 years is nothing short of amazing."

In addition to earning All-American honors on the balance beam as a senior, Reeser earned All-SEC on the beam as a sophomore and was part of the 2002 NCAA Championship and 2003 SEC Championship squads. She also helped lead Alabama to three NCAA regional titles.

A four-year Scholastic All-American carrying a 3.96 grade point average in accounting, Reeser was a member of Alabama's Honor Program and a four-time Academic All-SEC honoree. She earned the College of Commerce and Business Administration Scholar-Athlete award as a junior and was inducted into National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Beta Alpha Psi and Gamma Beta Phi honor societies.

"We are obviously very proud of Michelle," Athletics Director Mal Moore said. "She had an outstanding career at Alabama, excelling in both the classroom and the gym. She also never hesitated to lend a helping hand in the Tuscaloosa community."

The Alabama Gymnastics program is the most decorated in the history of the honor. In addition to being the ninth Alabama gymnast to earn the award, Reeser is 11th Crimson Tide athlete to earn the award and the fifth finalist. The other gymnasts to be named top-10 finalists include Meredith Willard (1997), Merritt Booth (1998) and Kristin Sterner (2003) and the state winners are Katherine Kelleher (1992), Dana Dobransky (1993), Lexa Evans (2000), Andree Pickens (2002) and Stephanie Kite (2004).

"To add my name to this list is amazing," Reeser said. "They were all such outstanding athletes and students and to be included in that group is very much an honor and one that I will always cherish."

--UA--