If you play for Pat Summitt and the University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers, you have no choice – you must be a very special athlete. Post season honors abounded for Michelle Marciniak in 1996 when she finished a brilliant college career by leading the Tennessee Lady Vols to their fourth NCAA Basketball Championship. After the Lady Vols rolled over Georgia, 83-65, in the national title game, Marciniak was named Most Outstanding Player of the 1996 Final Four. She was later chosen the 1996 NCAA Woman Athlete of the Year in the state of Tennessee. Earlier, in other post season action, she had been selected to the NCAA East Regional All-Tournament team and to the All-SEC Tournament team. Marciniak teamed with Latina Davis to give UT a backcourt that was instrumental in the Lady Vols’ run to the championship. A native of Macungie, PA, Marciniak graduated from UT with a degree in psychology. After graduation, she first joined the American Basketball League as a member of the Portland Power. Luckily for UT fans throughout the state, Michelle returned to Tennessee in 1998 to dazzle basketball fans once again, this time as a member of the ABL Nashville Noise.
