National, state and local recognition just keeps pouring in for Metro's national championship women's soccer team.

Last week, Head Coach Danny Sanchez and player Ymara Guante traveled to Baltimore, Md., to receive national awards from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) at its annual convention. Sanchez was honored as Division II National Coach of the Year and Guante was named the women's Division II National Player of the Year.

The NSCAA lauded Coach Sanchez with the following statement:

In just his third season at Metro State, Sanchez has led the Roadrunners women's soccer program from the bottom of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference to the Division II national championship. Along the way his team defeated No. 2 Regis University four times. Two of his players were named NSCAA/adidas All-America, and one was named the Division II Women's Player of the Year. Under his tutelage, Metro State has compiled a 65-5-4 in three seasons, an outstanding .905 winning percentage.

About Ymara Guante, the association said:

Guante was an integral part of the Roadrunner's national championship team. She became Metro's all-time career assist leader with 29 in only two seasons after transferring from Pima Community College. She also rewrote the school season record with 18 assists this fall, breaking the previous school mark of 16, and tied the school single-game mark with four against Colorado Christian on Sept. 24. The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Player of the Year, she was named to the NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Championship All-Tournament Team and also received Midwest Region All-Tournament honors.

In addition to these national honors, the team will be recognized with a resolution from the Colorado State Legislature and the Denver City Council. On January 21, the team will be introduced at the Denver Nuggets game against Memphis.