Wilkerson, McMichael To Compete On USA Elite Team
OKLAHOMA CITY --? Mississippi State all-Americans Kellie Wilkerson and Iyhia McMichael were among 16 players chosen to compete on the USA Elite team, while head coach Jay Miller was, again, selected as the squad's skipper, in an announcement made by USA Softball Monday afternoon in Oklahoma City.
The selections followed intense workouts last week at the National Team Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif. The USA Elite team will compete at the Canada Cup, July 4-13, and in an exhibition series against Australia in San Francisco, July 15-20. Wilkerson and McMichael are joined on the USA Elite team by former Alabama all-American Kelly Kretschman and former LSU all-American Trena Peel.
USA Softball Women's National Teams have been among the most dominating of any sports team in history. The USA's ability to bring home the title in World Championships, Pan American Games and the Olympics is unchallenged, with a total of 14 gold medals.
The USA Softball Women's National Team won the first Olympic gold medal in the sport's history during the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, GA, and defended its gold medal at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. The USA Softball Women's National Team, which has won the past five World Championships, the past four Pan Am Games and the past two Olympic gold medals, has bee the undisputed No. 1 team in the world for the past 17 years.
The Amateur Softball Association, founded in 1933, is the National Governing Body of Softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. As the National Governing Body, the ASA is responsible for identifying, selecting and training male and female athletes to compete in World, Pan American and Olympic competitions.
Selections to the Women's National Team must be approved by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC).
2003 USA ELITE TEAM ROSTER
(Current Or Former Colleges Attended In Parentheses)
| Selena Collins (Texas A&M) | Jodie Cox (Cal State-Fullerton) |
| Courtney Dale (UCLA) | Teri Goldberg (Colorado State) |
| Alicia Hollowell (Arizona) | Lyndsey Klein (UCLA) |
| Kelly Kretschman (Alabama) | Lauren Lappin (Stanford) |
| Toni Mascarenas (Arizona) | Iyhia McMichael (Mississippi State) |
| Gina Oaks (Cal State-Fullerton) | Trena Peel (LSU) |
| Jamie Southern (Washington) | Nichole Thompson (Arizona State) |
| Mackenzie Vandergeest (Arizona) | Kellie Wilkerson (Mississippi State) |
Head Coach: Jay Miller (Mississippi State)
Assistant Coaches: Michelle Gromacki (Cal State-Fullerton), Kirk Walker (Oregon State)