Tricia Saunders of Phoenix, Ariz., has been named 2004 Women's Coach of the Year by USA Wrestling. This is the first time that Saunders has received this award.    Tricia Saunders becomes the first female to win this award, which was started in 2002. In fact, she is the first female to win any Senior-level Coach of the Year award given by USA Wrestling in any style, which goes back all the way to 1972.    Saunders was an Olympic Coach for the U.S. Olympic Women's Wrestling Team, which competed at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. The U.S. won two Olympic medals in women's freestyle wrestling, and placed second in the medal count and unofficial standings in the women's wrestling competition.    Tricia Saunders became the first woman to serve as a coach a U.S. Olympic team in wrestling. Her husband Townsend Saunders, a 1996 Olympic silver medalist in men's freestyle wrestling, was also an Olympic Coach for the women's wrestling team. Townsend Saunders was the 2003 USA Wrestling Women's Coach of the Year.    Tricia Saunders served as head coach of the historic 2003 Pan American Games women's team, the first time that women's wrestling was included on the program. The U.S. swept all gold medals in the women's wrestling division, with Patricia Miranda, Tina George, Sara McMann and Toccara Montgomery claiming titles.    Saunders has been a member of the U.S. Women's World Team coaching staff in 2001, 2002 and 2003. She is a club coach with the Sunkist Kids. The women wrestlers for the Sunkist Kids won the 2002 and 2003 U.S. Nationals team title.    She was one of the most successful women's wrestler in history, winning four World Championships gold medals (1992, 1996, 1998 and 1999), as well as the 1993 World silver medal. Saunders was the first U.S. woman to win a World wrestling title. She completed her international competitive career in 2001, never having lost to a U.S. competitor. She won a record 11 U.S. Nationals titles in women's wrestling and won the World Team Trials 12 times. She was the Outstanding Wrestler at the 1992 World Championships.    Saunders is considered a pioneer in the development of women's wrestling in the nation. She was given the 1997 USA Wrestling Woman of the Year award, the first recipient of this award. She was also the USA Wrestling Women's Wrestler of the Year twice and the USOC Women's Wrestler of the Year three times.    She is married to Townsend Saunders, 1996 Olympic silver medalist in men's freestyle, and also head coach of the 2003 U.S. Women's World team. A graduate of the Univ. of Wisconsin, Saunders is originally from Ann Arbor, Mich., where she competed on a national level in the youth wrestling programs. .    USA Wrestling will be announcing major award winners each day this week on TheMat.com.    PAST WOMEN'S COACH OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS  2004 - Tricia Saunders, Phoenix, Ariz., Sunkist Kids  2003 - Townsend Saunders, Phoenix, Ariz., Sunkist Kids  2002 - Joe Corso, Des Moines, Iowa, Sunkist Kids