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Slaton, Danielle

Danielle Slaton '02
  • Sport: Women’s Soccer
  • Years Attended: 1998-2002
  • 4x First-Team All-WCC Selection
  • 1998 WCC Freshman of the Year
  • 2001 NCAA National Champion
  • 2001 NCAA College Cup Defensive MVP
  • 2001 NCAA Defender of the Year
  • 2001 NCAA Scholar Athlete of the Year
  • 2000 Olympic Silver Medalist
  • Inducted in 2014

Slaton captained the Santa Clara Women's Soccer team to the 2001 NCAA championship with a memorable 1-0 title game victory over North Carolina. She was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Defensive Player, earned a spot on the All-Tournament team, and was selected the 2001 NCAA Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Slaton was a four-time First Team All-Conference selection and finished her Bronco career with 50 points on eight goals and 34 assists. She then joined the USA Women's National Team from 2000-2005. On which she won a Silver Medal at the 2000 Olympics in Australia and a Bronze Medal in the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup. As a professional player, Slaton became the first overall draft pick for the Carolina Courage of the Women's United Soccer Association. She led her team to the league championship and was named WUSA Defender of The Year. After the league dissolved, she spent a season in Europe playing for Olympique Lyonnais Club of the French First Division before becoming an assistant coach to the women's soccer team at Northwestern University from 2006-2009, where she also earned her Master's Degree in Sports Administration. Slaton has since become a Soccer analyst and Sideline reporter for the Big Ten Network, Chicago Fire Soccer, NBC Sports, FOX Sports and Pac-12 Network. She is also a member of the Athlete Council for U.S. Soccer and serves on the National Advisory Board for the Positive Coaching Alliance.

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