History of Women in Sports Timeline - 2008

• 2008 - Venus Williams defeats Maria Sharapova in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, to pick up the title at the JB Classic exhibition in Hong Kong

• 2008 - Lindsay Davenport wins the ASB Classic in New Zealand with a victory over France’s Aravane Rezai, 6-2, 6-2.

• 2008 - Maria Sharapova defeats Ana Ivanovic 7-5, 6-3 to win the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the season.

• 2008 - Mirai Nagasu, 14 and the second youngest national champion ever, wins the U.S. National Figure Skating Title.

• 2008 - Italian Carolina Kostner wins her second European figure skating championship.

• 2008 - Women's Basketball Hall of Famer and Rutgers' coach C. Vivian Stringer wins her 800th game in a Scarlet Knights' 60-46 victory over DePaul, joining basketball greats Pat Summitt and Jody Conradt.

• 2008 - Mexico's Lorena Ochoa wins the HSBC Women's Champions tournament in Singapore with a total of 20 under par, the inaugural winner of the tournament. Sweden's Annika Sorenstam placed scond and American Paula Creamer wins third.

• 2008 - Lindsey Vonn wins her 10th career World Cup downhill ski race to break the US record set by Picabo Street and Daron Rahlves.

• 2008 - The US Women's Soccer team wins a record sixth Algarve Cup with a 2-1 victory over Denmark on goals by Natasha Kai and Abby Wamback (her 88th international goal).

• 2008 - American marathoner Dawn Hamlin sets a new world record by completing seven marathons on seven continents in only 49 days with her five and a half hour run in the Antarctica Marathon. She broke the record for fastest female to finish the "seven in seven" quest by 64 days, one of fewer than 200 marathon runners to compete on all seven continents.

• 2008- Tae Kwondo fighter Sara Khoshjamal, 20, becomes the first Iranian woman to earn a spot at the Olympics.

• 2008 - LPGA rookie Louise Friberg wins her first LPGA Tour victory at the MasterCard Classic.

• 2008 - Serbia's Ana Ivanovic defeats Russia's Svetlana Kuzetsova 6-4, 6-3 to win the women's title at the 2008 Pacific Life Open.

• 2008 - Lorena Ochoa defends her title at the Safeway International with a seven-stroke victory, giving her 19 career victories.

• 2008 - The Lady Vols of Tennessee successfully defend their NCAA women’s basketball title, winning for the 8th time.

• 2008 - Women's Sports Television, the only full-time Internet-based programming service for women's sports, adds several new programs, including two new videos from women's football and seven Flat Track Derby matches.

• 2008 - Serena Williams defends her Sony Ericsson Open Title, defeating Jelena Jankovic in three sets, 6-1, 5-7, 6-3.

• 2008 - University of Florida senior Caroline Burckle gets the 2008 Honda Sports Award as the nation’s top collegiate female swimmer. Burckle was also recently honored as the NCAA Swimmer of the Year at the 2008 NCAA meet.

• 2008 - The University of Maryland-Eastern Shore wins its first NCAA women’s bowling title.

• 2008 - Irina Mikitenko wins the London Marathon in 2:24:14; Svetlana Zakharova comes in second (2:24:39) and Gete Wami wins third place (2:25:37).

• 2008 - Danica Patrick, 26, becomes the first woman to win a major-league Indy-car event with her victory at the Indy Japan 300. It is also the first time a woman won in a national oval-track touring circuit such as the IRL or NASCAR.

• 2008 - North Carolina State head coach Kay Yow is named the 2008 WNBA Inspiring Coach by the Women's National Basketball Association. With 37 years as a collegiate basketball coach, Yow earned the accolade for "her profound impact on female athletes and her demonstrated commitment, passion and dedication to work, family and community." The Inspiring Coach Award was first handed out in 2007 in recognition of coaches who strive to serve as a positive influence for female athletes both on and off the courts.

• 2008 - Mexico's Lorena Ochoa becomes the first woman to win four consecutive Ladies Professional Golf Association tournaments in four consecutive weeks. Ranked the No. 1 female golfer in the world, she is the first golfer from Mexico--male or female--to be ranked at the top of the sport.

• 2008 - The University of Georgia won their fourth straight NCAA championship title; the ninth title for the Georgia Gym Dogs, tied with Utah for the most NCAA gymnastics championships.

• 2008 - South African swimmer Natalie Du Toit, who lost her leg seven years ago, qualified during the world championships to compete in the 2008 Olympic Games, the first amputee to qualify for the Games.

• 2008 - Paula Creamer wins the SemGroup Championship, her second LPGA vciory this year.

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