FACES IN THE CROWD
STRYMAR LIVINGSTON
BROOKLYN > TRACK AND FIELD
Strymar, a senior at Christopher Columbus High in the Bronx, set his second national high school record in as many weeks with a 1:17.58 in the 600 meters at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational at the Armory in Manhattan, breaking the mark he had set last year. Two weeks earlier he broke the record in the 500, running a 1:01.68 at the New Balance Games. Last spring he won the 800-meter title and finished second in the 400 in the New York City high school championships.
KAT DING
SPARKS, NEV. > GYMNASTICS
Ding, a senior uneven bars specialist at Georgia, scored 39.55 total points to win her first career all-around title, helping her sixth-ranked squad upset No. 3 Arkansas by less than one point (196.825--195.875). She won the uneven bars (9.95), tied for first in vault (9.90), tied for second in beam (9.85) and scored a 9.85 to tie for third in her first floor routine this season. The reigning NCAA uneven bars champ, Ding was tied for first nationally in all-around scoring through Sunday.
JACK CONNOLLY
DULUTH > ICE HOCKEY
Connolly, a senior center at Minnesota-Duluth, had a hand in each goal of a 5--4 win over North Dakota. He scored twice and had three assists to avenge a 3--1 loss to the Fighting Sioux a day earlier, when he set up the Bulldogs' lone goal. The captain of the defending Division I champions, Connolly ranked second nationally in points (50) and assists (33) at week's end. Last year he finished third in points (59) and second in assists (41) to earn All-America honors.
JASMINE TODD
CHANDLER, ARIZ. > TRACK AND FIELD
Jasmine, a senior at Chandler High, won four events at the Great Southwest Indoor meet in Albuquerque, each with a top six national performance. She won the 60-meter dash in 7.42 seconds (tied for second), the 200 in 24.43 (tied for fourth), the long jump with a leap of 19' 7" (fifth) and the triple jump with a 39'10½" (sixth). Last spring Jasmine set a state outdoor triple jump record (41'5") and swept the long and triple jump at states to lead the Lady Wolves to their sixth straight Division I title.
ANTHONY COOMBS
WINNIPEG > FOOTBALL
Coombs, a 5' 9", 185-pound freshman running back at the University of Manitoba, was named MVP of the International Federation of American Football's third annual 19U International Bowl, leading the World Team, comprising eight countries, to a 35--29 win over the U.S. He had 147 yards and two TDs on 14 carries to hand the U.S. its first-ever loss in international competition. Coombs, who gained a Canada West--leading 1,203 all-purpose yards for Manitoba, was named All-Canada in 2011.
CAROLINE AND KATHERINE COYER
OAK HILL, VA. > BASKETBALL
The twin sisters and Oakton High senior co-captains passed two milestones on a single play in the undefeated Cougars' 54--45 win over Robinson High. Katherine, a 5'11" shooting guard, hit a 12-foot baseline jumper to score her 1,000th career point off a pass from Caroline, a 5'10" point guard, who set a Virginia AAA record with her 532nd career assist. (Caroline has also scored 1,475 points.) Both girls will play at Villanova next year.
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GRACE POINT
The plan was just to get Cory Weissman into a game. As a freshman basketball player at Gettysburg College in 2009, Weissman had suffered a severe stroke. Now a senior, having learned to walk and talk all over again, he was a Bullets captain but had never taken the floor. On Feb. 11, with Gettysburg facing rival Washington College, Weissman got the chance: Bullets coach George Petrie (with the approval of Shoremen coach Rob Nugent) put him in for the opening tip-off of Senior Day, after which Weissman came out immediately. But then, with Gettysburg up 19 and just over a minute left, Nugent signaled that he was willing to take the plan a step further. With 17 seconds left, the ball was inbounded to Weissman, who was immediately fouled. He missed his first free throw but sank the second cleanly. "I was thinking there is absolutely no way the next shot wasn't going in," he says. "It was a dream come true."
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ANA TAVAREZ (LIVINGSTON)
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UGA SPORTS COMMUNICATIONS (DING)
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BRETT GROEHLER/UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA-DULUTH (CONNOLLY)
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COURTESY OF THE TODD FAMILY (TODD)
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WILLIAM ZUK/BISON SPORTS (COOMBS)
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ALLIE BERUBE (COYERS)
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TOMMY RIGGS/GETTYSBURG COLLEGE (WEISSMAN)
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