THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 28, 1996 TAG: 9601280316
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KEVIN DOEPP, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 87 lines
Coming out of Norview High school, track star Tonya Williams had Pittsburgh on her mind. The University of Pittsburgh, that is.
But her high school coach and now a close friend, Jackie Hall, wanted Williams to go to Penn State.
So there needed to be a school that both could agree on.
That is where the University of Illinois entered in. Williams was recruited by Illini women's track coach Gary Winckler, and so the story began.
``When I went out there to visit I loved the place,'' Williams said. ``Coach (Winckler) did a good job recruiting me even though Illinois was nowhere on my agenda.''
Williams struggled early in her career. She hung on to the faith that it was God who was in her corner, giving her the ability to run that enabled her to get a scholarship.
Then in her junior year Williams would receive an award from the university that she hadn't even been nominated for. She was named the female athlete of the year at Illinois.
``To be perfectly honest, getting that award was really weird,'' Williams said. ``Basically I won it because I won Nationals that year.
``I thought that it was kind of rude towards the other athletes,'' she said, referring to her not having been nominated, ``but I was happy and very grateful for the award.''
Then Williams went into high gear as a senior, winning the NCAA title last year in the 400-meter hurdles and finishing fifth in the 400 meter hurdles at the U.S. Track and Field Championships. She also won the 400-meter hurdles at the U.S. Olympic Festival.
Throughout her illustrious career at Illinois Williams has never lost sight of the credit she says is due her coach, Winckler, for keeping her mentally focused and on target.
``My coach is a very smart man and he can explain things to me on a level that I can understand,'' Williams said. ``A lot of my successes are because of him.''
Williams also has a dream of running in the Olympics this summer in Atlanta. She will try out in mid-June in Atlanta. The first three to finish each event qualify for the Olympics.
``If I don't make them, I won't be disappointed,'' Williams said. ``I just want people to notice me and I'll be happy as long as I give it my best.
MONARCHS REPORT: Heavyweight wrestler Nick Hall (Longwood H.S., Long Island, N.Y.) has been invited to the 30th annual National Wrestling Coaches Association All-Star Classic Monday at the University of Iowa. Four individuals at each weight class were invited to attend. Hall won his 100th match as a Monarch when he decisioned Rex Hall of Wyoming at the Virginia Duals. He is one of three Monarchs to reach the 100-win plateau. He is ranked fourth in the latest Amateur Wrestling News and is 21-0 on the season and 100-17-3 in his career.
Baseball: Old Dominion has announced four early signings. They are:
Brian Ross, a lefthanded pitcher from Portland High School in Portland, Me. He has an 8-0 high school record and has 98 strikeouts in 63 innings pitched.
Joseph Troilo, a centerfielder and righthanded pitcher from Avondale, Pa. He was an All-State performer at Kennett High School.
Marc Collier, a shortstop and righthanded pitcher from Lower Dauphin High School in Hummelstown, Pa. He was a first-team All-Region performer and MVP of the Pennsylvania American Legion East-West game.
And Justin Hazelton, an outfielder-third baseman from Phillipsburg Osceola High School in Philipsburg, Pa. He was a first-team All-State performer.
The Monarchs, who have been picked to finish second in the Colonial Athletic Association by Baseball America, will open the season on Feb. 9 in the Citgo-Southern Challenge in Charleston, S.C., against VMI.
Top returners for the Monarchs are sophomore third baseman Ron Walker and senior catcher Matt Quatraro. Freshman Tony Gsell is listed as the CAA's top newcomer.
ALUMNI REPORT: James Madison junior wrestler Rob Barlow (Kempsville) improved his record to 17-4 with three victories at the Virginia Division I Intercollegiate Championships at Virginia Tech and captured the championship at 177 pounds. Barlow pinned Old Dominion's Josh Fannon in 3:58 and won a 9-2 decision over Virginia's Gage Short to reach the finals. He then scored an 8-2 decision over Virginia Tech's John Dattalo to win the championship. Barlow avenged an early season loss to Dattalo at the Navy Classic, Nov. 18. . . . Fellow James Madison wrestler Brad Ginn (Kempsville) finished fourth at the championships. The junior went 2-2 at the 150-pound weight class. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
At Illinois, Tonya Williams found a good coach and won an NCAA
title. She wants to compete in the Atlanta Games.
by CNB