Whitley, of Statesville, N.C., was a co-captain of the Erskine women's soccer team, and earned all Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference honors her senior season.

Whitley became an accomplished soccer player at an early age, but had to compete on the boy's varsity team in 1989, her freshman year at Statesville High School, because there was no girls soccer team.

"I had to play with the guys and I had to have knee surgery my sophomore year," Whitley said. "I tore my anterior cruciate ligament."

In 1991 she began to lobby the school board on behalf of girls' soccer, having no idea she would be creating a job for herself in five years.

During the 1990-91 school year, Whitley began circulating a petition at Statesville High, arguing for the creation of a separate girls team. Girls who signed had to agree to play if a girls team was formed. Whitley got 50 signatures.

As part of a school project, she wrote a position paper outlining the need for a separate girls program. Then she waited. On Aug. 1, she got the word that there would be a girls team at Statesville.

That first Statesville team had only three players with soccer experience, but that didn't bother Whitley. She continued to improve, was chosen to play on a select team and then an Olympic development team before signing with Erskine.

After graduating from Erskine last year, she learned of an opening at Statesville's rival, North Iredell High. "At that point I thought I wanted to stay in South Carolina. But the more I thought about coaching, the more I thought it would be an exciting challenge."

She took the job and has returned to the county where she helped pioneer women's soccer. Through April 16, her team was 5-5 overall and 5-2 in conference play. Among the five wins is a victory over her alma mater, Statesville.

Whitley has also been supportive of the school board's recent decision to create separate girls programs in the county's middle schools.

"I think it's real good for the game," she said. "I feel certain that there were a number of girls who thought about playing but decided not to because they'd have to play with the guys."

Whitley, 1995 Homecoming Queen at Erskine, is engaged to Erskine senior Chad Reynolds.