Tricia Saunders of Phoenix, Ariz. has been named the 1997 Woman of the Year by USA Wrestling. This is the first year that USA Wrestling has presented this prestigious award, which recognizes an outstanding woman for her contributions to the sport of wrestling. 
 Saunders, a two-time Women's World Champion, is the most successful U.S. female wrestler in history. She is also considered one of the pioneers in the development of women's wrestling in the nation. 
 Saunders won a gold medal at the 1992 Women's World Championships in Villeurbanne, France at 110 pounds, and added her second gold medal at the 1996 Women's World Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria at 103.5 pounds. She is the only U.S. wrestler to win a gold medal at the Women's World Championships. Saunders was named Outstanding Wrestler at the 1992 World Championships. 
 She also claimed a silver medal at the 1993 Women's World Championships. She has won major international competitions around the world, including events in China, Japan, France, Venezuela, Sweden, Canada and other nations. 
 Saunders has also been the most successful U.S. wrestler in domestic women's competitions, winning a record seven U.S. Women's National titles, all in a row (1990-96). Saunders was named Outstanding Wrestler at the U.S. Nationals three times. She was the 1993 and 1996 USA Wrestling Women's Wrestler of the Year and the 1996 USOC Women's Wrestler of the Year. 
 In addition to her achievements as an athlete, Saunders is also considered one of the leaders in the development of women's wrestling in the United States. 
 She has served many years on USA Wrestling's Board of Directors, and has been a leader on the organization's Women's Wrestling Committee. For almost a decade, Saunders has led the effort to expand opportunities for women within the sport, and strengthen the overall program in the United States. 
 The United States has competed at the Women's World Championships since 1989, and Saunders made her first U.S. team a year later. When Saunders came on the national scene, only a handful of women participated in wrestling. Since then, the USA has developed a national team program for women and has climbed to a No. 3 ranking in the world in womenÕs wrestling. In addition, more young women are participating in the sport on the youth and high school levels. 
 Saunders, a native of Ann Arbor, Mich., comes from a strong wrestling family. Her maiden name is McNaughton, and her brothers and father were involved in the sport. She wrestled as a youth, and was very successful, winning national-level youth events competing against boys. One of her club coaches was 1980 Olympian Mark Johnson, and a youth teammate was 1992 Olympic silver medalist Zeke Jones. 
 She did not wrestle in high school or college, participating in other sports. Saunders attended the Univ. of Wisconsin, where she received a degree in bacteriology. It was when she moved to Phoenix, Ariz. and started her professional career that she returned to wrestling. 
 She is married to 1996 Olympic freestyle wrestling silver medalist Townsend Saunders, and they have two children, a daughter, Tassia, and a son, Townsend.