THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 17, 1996 TAG: 9603170206
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C15 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KEVIN DOEPP, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 87 lines
Coming out of Kellam High School, Myra Simpson figured her chances of running track in Division I were not good.
Besides, running wasn't Simpson's best attribute. It was jumping. The triple jump and the long jump to be exact.
Simpson had no idea that the triple jump would net her two All-American awards at Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg.
The junior still yearns to improve on her running and hurdles, but it is the jumps that make her shine.
``I didn't really focus on the triple jump until the end in high school,'' Simpson said. ``I was a hurdler and that is what Mary Washington recruited me for.''
In 1995 Simpson notched her first All-American award with an eighth-place finish in the outdoor triple jump at the NCAA Championships.
On March 9, she finished third in the triple jump at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships at Northampton, Mass., for her second.
``I do appreciate winning . . . I still feel like I could accomplish more,'' Simpson said. ``I think that I am capable of being an All-American in the long jump.''
Simpson has received help from her college coaches Stan Soper and Skeeter Jackson. Jackson is Simpson's jump coach.
``He has been really great,'' Simpson said. ``Before he got here I was jumping 35 feet (in the triple jump), and now I am jumping 38 feet with him.''
The selection of what school she would attend came down to Mary Washington, Richmond and Christopher Newport.
``Mary Washington had the major that I wanted (history) and my family was close by, too,'' Simpson said.
Along with her track prowess, Simpson gets involved with other activities on campus. She is a member of the Washington Guides, a tour group on campus. She is a member of Phi Alpha Theta (history) and the Student Alumni committee.
Simpson, who carries a 3.07 GPA, has plans after her career with the Lady Eagles. She may go to law school or get her masters degree in journalism. She hopes to be a writer or a television commentator.
``Well, I am thinking that I get to jump another year and maybe I'll keep running road races after that,'' Simpson said.
OLD DOMINION REPORT: Field hockey standouts Samantha Salvia, Kim Decker and Heather Hess were named to the GTE Academic All-American District III team. Salvia, a senior and first ODU Rhodes Scholar, has a 4.0 GPA in civil engineering and was ranked fourth in the country in assists (22). She was also named to the GTE/COSIDA All-District team last week. Hess, a junior forward, carries a 3.49 GPA in biology, and senior goalie Kim Decker has a 3.49 GPA in health and physical education. ... Senior catcher Matt Quatraro was named the tournament MVP at the Aggie Continental Classic last weekend. He hit .500 and drove in 10 runs in six games. Freshman outfielder David Winter (First Colonial) and senior pitcher Marty Plank (Bayside) were named to the all-tournament team. ... Wrestlers Nick Hall (34-0) and Erick Shaw (Indian River, 28-6) are going to the NCAA championships in Minneapolis, Minn., Thursday through Saturday. Hall is ranked third nationally in the heavyweight division, and Shaw is entered as a wildcard in the 126-pound division.
SPARTAN BASEBALL: The Norfolk State baseball team will have to wait to play in its new stadium due to a lack of grass. According to athletic director Dick Price the field was seeded and re-seeded, but the grass isn't filling in. The school has ordered sod, and until that is ready, they will be playing some games at Old Dominion's baseball field. That includes Tuesday's doubleheader against Howard at 1 p.m.
ALUMNI REPORT: Ben Auzenne (Catholic) was selected as the Eastern College Athletic Conference men's gymnast of the week. Auzenne took first in the all-around and broke a William and Mary record with a score of 56.52 at last weekend's ECAC Men's Open Gymnastics Championship held at Springfield College. Auzenne also placed second in the parallel bars (9.35) and second on the rings (9.575). ... Cathy Riddick (Churchland) was named the Dixie Conference softball Player of the Week last week. In Riddick's first seven games she hit and seventh in runs batted in. ... Heather Hoehlein (Cox) of the James Madison field hockey team was named to the 1996 GTE Academic All-America District III at-large team. Hoehlein, a senior, carries a 3.62 GPA in Biology/Pre-Med. She holds JMU's season record in assists with 18 and the single-game record in assists with five. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Myra Simpson, a junior at Mary Washington College, has earned two
All-American awards for the triple jump.
by CNB