It was really only a matter of time until the University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey program was eligible to nominate a former student athlete into the Hall of Fame, and that time has finally come.

Maria Rooth will become the women's hockey Bulldog to be inducted into the UMD Athletic Hall of Fame this September when she and six other former UMD standouts join the Class of 2013.

Rooth, a winger from Angelholm, Sweden, holds the distinction of being the only Bulldog female student-athlete to have her jersey (No. 27) retired.  UMD's all-time leading goal producer (119) and its second top scorer (232 points in 124 games), she played an integral part in the Bulldogs' conquest of of three NCAA championships (2000-01, 2001-02 and 2002-03), two WCHA regular season titles (the inaugural one in 1999-2000 and in 2002-03) and three WCHA playoff crowns (2000-01, 2001-02 and 2002-03).

During her farewell season, Rooth made the top 10 list for the Patty KazmaierAward as the most outstanding player in women's college hockey for a fourth straight year in addition to earning her third All-American citation (first team in 2000-02 and second team in 2002-03). A three-time All-WCHA selection, she was chosen the 2001 NCAA Frozen Four Most Valuable Player, the 2001 WCHA Tournament Most Valuable Player and the 1999-2000 WCHA Rookie of the Year. Rooth's other collegiate accomplishments include earning WCHA All-Academic Team acclaim on three occasions, receiving UMD's Top Scholar-Athlete Award in 2002-03 and joining three other Bulldogs on the WCHA's All-Decade team, which was unveiled in 2009.

In 2010-11, she returned to her alma mater to assume an assistant coaching position under her former bench boss, Shannon Miller.  Rooth has been a well-known international hockey entity for over 15 years, having skated for Sweden at the 1998, 2002 (bronze medal), 2006 (silver) and 2010 Winter Olympics and accruing 265 overall games for her native country at numerous world competitions.

The 16th UMD Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Banquet, which is open to the public, will be held at the Holiday Center's Lake Superior Ballroom in downtown Duluth on Sept. 20. The event kicks off with a 5:30 p.m. social, followed by a 6:15 p.m. dinner, and a 7 p.m. program. Steve LePage, the former long-time sports anchor at WDIO-TV in Duluth and television voice of Bulldog hockey and football, is scheduled to serve as the Master of Ceremonies.