Lisa Morales was first woman in Army contest.

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A Tucson soldier competing for the title of the Army's Best Warrior didn't win, but Sgt. Lisa Morales, the first female contender, was in good spirits following defeat, a spokesman for her unit said.

"When the winner was announced, she was smiling and applauding along with everyone else," said Eric Hortin, a public affairs officer at Fort Huachuca in Sierra Vista, who attended a ceremony Monday in Washington, D.C., where the results of the contest were made public.

"It was great to see her make it this far," Hortin said of Morales' trek to the final round.

"But for those of us who were rooting for her, of course there was that little bit of disappointment when they didn't call her name."

The Best Warrior prize, including the title Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year, went to Staff Sgt. Michael N. Merino, an Army National Guard soldier from Montana.

Morales, who stands 5-feet-4 and weighs 120 pounds, was smaller than male soldiers in the competition but undaunted by the uphill battle she faced for the title. Competitors were tested on marksmanship, hand-to-hand combat skills, land navigation abilities, physical fitness and other aspects of soldiering.

The 23-year-old was born in Tucson and spent her early years here before moving to Sierra Vista. She is a member of Fort Huachuca's 11th Signal Brigade.

The brigade currently is deployed to Kuwait supporting military efforts in Iraq. The Army sent Morales home from the deployment to train for the competition.

Morales couldn't be reached for comment Monday. She said in a telephone interview last week that she expected to be sent back to her overseas post if she didn't win.

Retiree Lila Strong of Tucson, who has a granddaughter serving in Iraq, doesn't know Morales but became a fan after reading news articles about the local soldier's exploits.

"I'm proud of her for doing so well," Strong said. In previous generations, she said, "women never had that kind of opportunity."