OMAHA, Neb. - The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) won the 2008 NCAA Women's National Championship on Saturday evening at Thunder Alley in Omaha, Nebraska. "I'm speechless," said a grinning Coach Sharon Brummell. "After last year, I thought we could contend for the championship."

Contend they did, but there is a much larger story to tell.

The Hawks went into the tournament ranked second in the country and were the runners-up to the National Championship in 2007. They started slow however and qualified seventh on the first day and had to fight their way to the title. Fight they did.

UMES battled Arkansas State University (ASU) in the finals match, televised live on ESPNU, and won the match 4-2. UMES almost didn't make it to the match. They lost the previous day to Vanderbilt, whom they topped to open the first round of the tournament, and forced a rematch on Saturday.