Faces In The Crowd

Kristin Schmidt, HOUSTON
Softball
Schmidt, a righthanded pitcher and recent graduate of LSU, was
named the NCAA Women's College World Series' Most Outstanding
Player after she struck out 44 batters in 40 2/3 innings. She
ended her college career with 116 wins and 1,154 strikeouts.

LaShawn Merritt, PORTSMOUTH, VA.
Track and Field
Merritt, a graduate of Wilson High, won three gold medals at the
IAAF World Junior Track & Field Championships in Grosseto, Italy.
He won the men's 400 meters and was a member of the world junior
record-setting 4¥100-and 4¥400-meter relay teams.

Rebecca Ward, PORTLAND
Fencing
Rebecca, 14, a homeschooled ninth-grader, won three gold medals
in women's saber (under-19, under-16 and youth-14) at the summer
national championships in Charlotte. She is undefeated in four
years of national competition in her own age group.

Jeff Wood, MANSFIELD, MASS.
Motor Sports
Wood, 29, won the 20-lap SportBike race, the main event at the
New Hampshire International Speedway's 81st annual Loudon
Classic, the nation's oldest motorcycle road race. He also won
the SuperBike and ThunderBike finals.

Mary Heitkamp, ORWELL, VT.
Track and Field
Heitkamp, the 2004 valedictorian at Fair Haven Union High, won
the state high school heptathlon championship, with 4,360 points.
She has won 14 individual outdoor titles, the most in Vermont
history, and was named its high school girls' track athlete of
the year.

Jarod Gschwind, LA CROSSE, WIS.
Baseball
Gschwind, a graduate of Logan High, hit for the cycle in each
game of a doubleheader sweep, going 9 for 9 with eight RBIs for
the La Crosse American Legion Post 52 team. The centerfielder and
pitcher threw a three-hit shutout in the second win.

Rachel Uremovich, HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C.
Golf
Rachel, 13, an eighth-grader at Hilton Head Prep competing in her
first match play tournament, became the youngest winner of the
Women's South Carolina Golf Association's Match Play
Championship. She is a member of the Dolphins' varsity golf team.

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COLOR PHOTO: STEVE FRANZ/LSU SPORTS INFORMATION

COLOR PHOTO: BILL ABOURJILIE

COLOR PHOTO: EDMUND KEENE

COLOR PHOTO: KATHY BORCHERS

COLOR PHOTO: TRENT CAMPBELL

COLOR PHOTO: PAUL CURRIER

COLOR PHOTO: RENEE CAROLLA