Honors and Awards
- First-Team Academic All-Big 12 Conference (2000)
- Big 12 Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll (Fall 1999)
2001 Season
Najah Williams (pronounced NAH-jah), one of Nebraska's fastest players, helped the Huskers as both a forward and defender in the 2001 season.
Williams scored 11 points on four goals and three assists. She notched the second multiple-goal game of her career with two goals against Boston College in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Williams also posted scoring shots against Missouri and Oklahoma, and notched the game-winning assist against Texas Tech.
The Phoenix, Ariz., native, who saw significant action in 19 games for the Huskers as a senior, started at defender against USC and started at forward in Nebraska's last five games.
2000 Season
Though slowed by an ankle injury, which kept her out of five games, Williams produced nine points on two goals and five assists in 19 contests. Williams started in NU's first 13 games, before suffering the injury after assisting the game-winning goal against Texas on Oct. 6. She came off the bench and saw limited action against Texas A&M on Oct. 8, but did not play again until the Big 12 Tournament.
She scored her first goal of the season against Drury on Sept. 3, and added an insurance goal in Nebraska's 2-0 win over No. 22 Conneticut on Sept. 17.
She was named first-team academic All-Big 12 for her accomplishments in the classroom.
1999 Season
Williams was a key component to Nebraska's record-setting offense in 1999, producing 14 points on six goals and two assists. She created a pair of two-goal performances against Kentucky and in the Big 12 Tournament against Texas Tech. She scored her first goal of the season in a win over Oral Roberts and added a goal in a win over Kansas. Williams notched assists against Tulsa and Oklahoma State. She enjoyed success in the classroom as well, earning a spot on the Big 12 Commissioner's Fall Academic Honor Roll.
1998 Season
Williams had a solid freshman campaign, appearing in 18 games, including her first career start in Nebraska's opener against UW-Milwaukee. She scored two points on one goal, which came against No. 20 Stanford in the final game of the Husker Fila Invitational.
High School
Williams earned first-team All-Arizona and first-team Class 5A all-state honors as a senior defender/midfielder at Xavier College Prep in 1998. Playing for Coach Karen Melvin, Williams became Xavier's third all-time leading scorer with 93 points on 35 goals and 23 assists. She helped Xavier to a 13-5-2 record and a trip to the second round of the Class 5A state tournament as a senior. During her freshman season in 1995, Xavier was ranked seventh nationally by USA Today after winning its second straight state title. Xavier went on to win state titles in 1996 and 1997.
Williams earned four letters in soccer and added three letters in track and field. She posted a time of 12.2 seconds in the 100-meter dash in 1996. She finished second at the 1995 Class 5A state championships in the 200 and fourth in the 100-meter dash in 1995. She anchored Xavier's 4x100-meter relay team to a second-place state finish, while earning Xavier's most valuable sprinter honors in 1995.
Other Information
Williams was a member of the Region IV Olympic Development Program and the 1994 and 1996 Arizona Select Team. She played club soccer for Santos during the summer of 1998 after competing for the Cisco Sensation from 1993 to 1997. The Cisco Sensation captured tournament titles at the 1997 Under-19 Girl's Surf Cup and the 1995 North Hungtington Beach Invitational.
Personal Information
The daughter of Barry and Karen Williams, Najah has one brother, Khary, 26. Najah was a family and consumer science major. She was born Jan. 10, 1980.