Mountain West Conference Honors BYU's Elaine Michaelis

She ranks second overall in Division I women's volleyball wins.

FORT COLLINS -- The Mountain West Conference honored long-time volleyball coaching icon Elaine Michaelis at its pre-championship banquet tonight. Michaelis was presented with a career achievement award in appreciation of her outstanding contributions and dedication to the members of the Mountain West Conference and the sport of women's volleyball.

"This truly means alot coming from my coaching peers," Michaelis said. "We have had alot of great experiences together and we have a great relationship among the coaches. I'm truly honored."

Michaelis retired from coaching as the all-time leader in victories among female coaches in collegiate volleyball at any level with 887. She ranks second overall in Division I women's volleyball wins, trailing only UCLA's Andy Banachowski (934 wins - through 11/18/02). In the 40 years under Michaelis' direction, the Cougars never had a losing season and through her final season in 2001, BYU had 28 consecutive 20-win seasons.

Michaelis teams qualified for 30 of 33 national tournaments, including 20 of 21 NCAA Tournaments. Her 1972-73 team finished second and her 1993 squad advanced to the NCAA Final Four, the first BYU team, men's or women's, to do so.

She was named the 2002 Volleyball National Coach of the Year by the United States Olympic Committee and was the recipient of the 2001 USA Volleyball All-Time Great Coach Award. She received the American Volleyball Coaches Association Founders Award in 1996 and the Volleyball Festival Distinguished Service to U.S. Volleyball Award in 1993.

"Volleyball is a wonderful game and it has been good to me," Michaelis said. "It has been great to see how the game of volleyball has grown and developed over the years."

Michaelis currently serves on the Mountain West Conference television and championships committees and the BYU Advancement Council, while also serving as women's athletics director at BYU.