ATLANTA, Ga. (March 31, 2003) -- RUSSELL ATHLETIC and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) have selected Gail Goestenkors of Duke University, as the 2003 RUSSELL ATHLETIC/WBCA NCAA Division I National Coach of the Year. Goestenkors becomes the 21st coach in history to receive this accolade, which has been selected by the WBCA since 1983.

Coach Goestenkors is in her 10th year at Duke University. She has help lead the Blue Devils to a No. 1 national ranking and a 34-1 record this season. Known as "Coach G" to players, coaches, fans and student supporters, Goestenkors has raised the level of the women's basketball program at Duke to new heights. For a second consecutive year, Goestenkors and her team are among the "Elite Eight" vying for a spot in the NCAA Women's Final Four. Duke will take on Texas Tech tonight at 9:30 p.m. (EST) for the Midwest Region final.

"RUSSELL ATHLETIC would like to congratulate Duke University head coach Gail Goestenkors for being named the NCAA Division I Coach of the Year," said Rod McGeachy, Vice President of Marketing for Russell Athletic. "RUSSELL ATHLETIC knows that attaining the respect of ones peers is the highest accolade a coach can receive."

Goestenkors is one of six WBCA National Coaches of the Year selected by the Association, which also names winners for each of the other four WBCA collegiate divisions (NCAA Divisions II, III, NAIA and JC/CC) plus the High School division. Each collegiate winner is selected through a two-level process. The first level is by region, in which coaches from each WBCA geographical region vote for their respective top coach. Goestenkors, having received the most votes in WBCA Region 2, advanced as a finalist to the National level of the selection process along with the other seven Region Coaches of the Year in NCAA Division I.

Goestenkors and the national winners from the other five divisions will be presented to the WBCA membership at the RUSSELL ATHLETIC/WBCA Coach of the Year Banquet on Monday, April 7, at 1 p.m., at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis Ballroom. The banquet is part of the 2003 WBCA National Convention, held in conjunction with the NCAA Division I Women's Final Four in Atlanta. Founded in 1981, the WBCA promotes women's basketball by unifying coaches at all levels to develop a reputable identity for the sport and to foster and promote the development of the game in all of its aspects as an amateur sport for women and girls. For more information about the WBCA visit its website at www.wbca.org.