"There's nothing in the world that can beat this feeling."

Believe or not, that could be an understatement when you're talking about winning a national championship. But, having never been a champion of anything, this writer is taking Adrianne Almaraz's word for it.

A senior midfielder on Metro's women's soccer team, Almaraz is a member of the 2004 NCAA Division II national champions. She scored one of the three goals in the 3 to 2 victory over Adelphi University Dec. 4 that brought Metro—and Colorado—their first collegiate soccer championship.

Head Coach Danny Sanchez is understandably ecstatic as well. "This year everyone, from player one through 22, all felt they could do it. In training and in their games, you could see the confidence building. So that by the time we made it to the Final Four, I said to them, 'You know, we could really win this thing!'"

And if the championship weren't enough, junior back Stephanie Prouty was named Most Outstanding Defensive Player and sophomore forward Kylee Hanavan earned Most Outstanding Offensive Player. In addition, Prouty, Hanavan, senior midfielder Ymara Guante, and junior midfielder Marina MacDonald were named to the All-Tournament Team.

Before the Final Four tournament even began, Roadrunners were picking up accolades. Hanavan and senior midfielder Ymara Guante were named 2004 NSCAA All-Americans. Metro's all-time assist leader, Guante's assist count was the fourth-highest in the nation at the conclusion of the RMAC tournament. Hanavan, who scored the game-winning goal against Adelphi, is the nation's seventh-leading scorer for the season. She is the college's sixth all-time goal scorer and the sixth-best point-getter, despite this being her first season.

To keep that great feeling going for Almaraz and her teammates, a National Championship Celebration is planned for Thursday at 12:50 p.m. at the campus flagpole. Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper will stop by to congratulate the team. There will be free food and giveaways and KBCO will provide local music starting at noon.

"It's such a difficult thing to win a national championship," said Athletic Director Joan McDermott. "The team showed so much heart and drive. We're so proud of how they represented our institution."

For more information about the Roadrunners' victory go to
http://gometrostate.com.