The Apprentice School in Newport News, Virginia, won its first athletic national championship by either gender 25 years ago. The Lady Builders defeated Huntingdon (Alabama) College in 2001, marking a 24-3 season for the program that didn't exist five years earlier. The unlikely partnership between Bill Casto and Karen Barefoot led to an unlikely partnership that led to the success of the Lady Building. Barefoot, who had previously played for Christopher Newport University and Old Dominion, was the first player in NCAA history to reach 2,000 career points and 1,000 assists. Despite initially offering only $7,000 annually in 1995, Barefoot chose the position due to her family's long history with the shipyard and the school.