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FACES IN THE CROWD
CHIOMA UBOGAGU
COPPELL, TEXAS > SOCCER
Ubogagu, a sophomore forward at Stanford, scored the game-winner in the U.S.'s 2--1 overtime win over North Korea in the FIFA U-20 World Cup quarterfinals in Saitama, Japan. Coming off the bench in the second half, she scored a header in the 98th minute to help the Americans reach the semis and then the final, where they beat defending champion Germany 1--0. Ubogagu, who scored the U.S.'s qualifying tournament game-winner last March, was the 2011 Pac-12 freshman of the year.
CHRISTIAN ARROYO
BROOKSVILLE, FLA. > BASEBALL
Christian, a senior shortstop at Hernando High, earned MVP honors after helping the U.S. defeat Canada 6--2 to win the final of the International Baseball Federation's 18-and-under world championship in Seoul. He batted .387 with a tournament-high 11 RBIs and handled 67 fielding chances, with just two errors, while playing every inning of the U.S.'s 13 games. Christian, who has orally committed to Florida, was named to the tournament's All-Star team.
CHRISTINE HARDIN
ELIZABETHTON, TENN. > SOCCER, FOOTBALL
Christine, a senior striker at Elizabethton High and the starting kicker for the Cyclones' football team, scored her 100th goal and 100th point on consecutive nights last week. Her second of four goals in a 7--0 win over Grainger County brought her to the century mark in soccer last Thursday. The next day she scored her 100th point in football with the second of two extra points in a 14--0 win over Tuscola High. Christine set the Tennessee record for longest field goal by a girl, with a 34-yard kick in 2010.
ROBBY SHELTON
WILMER, ALA. > GOLF
Robby, a senior at St. Paul's Episcopal, shot a five-under 209 to win the Junior Players championship by one stroke at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, Fla. Tied entering the final hole of the three-day tournament with Brad Dalke, a freshman at McKinney (Texas) High, Robby sank a 10-foot putt for par to win the title. A four-time Future Masters champion and the country's No. 2--ranked junior golfer, Robby won the 5A individual state title for St. Paul's and the Junior PGA Championship earlier this year.
KAYLI BARKER
LAS VEGAS > AUTO RACING
Kayli, a sophomore at Mountain View Christian School, won the Whelen All-American Series Super Stock division feature race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway's .375-mile Bullring last month to become the youngest female (15 years, 24 days) to win a NASCAR-sanctioned main event. She drove her family-owned Camaro across the finish line after the two leaders tangled and spun out during the last lap. Kayli currently leads her division in points for rookie of the year honors.
ALEX BRILL
MADISON, WIS. > CROSS-COUNTRY
Brill, a redshirt junior at Wisconsin, won the individual title at the Badger Opener to lead the NCAA Division I top-ranked squad to its seventh straight team victory, dating to last season. The defending national champions claimed five of the top six finishes, including Brill's win in 18:50, on their 6.3-kilometer Thomas Zimmer Championship Course, to finish first out of four competing schools with a score of 19 points. Brill was named the Big Ten athlete of the week.
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RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS
New Zealand shot-putter Valerie Adams (right) has yet to receive the gold medal she won at the London Olympics following the DQ of first-place finisher Nadzeya Ostapchuk of Belarus for a failed drug test. But Jean-Pierre Egger, Adams's Swiss-born coach, recently gave her a custom-made medal and then sang her home country's national anthem—in English and Maori.
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MATT DUNHAM/AP (ADAMS AND EGGER)
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MICHAEL JANOSZ/ISIPHOTOS.COM/COURTESY OF U.S. SOCCER (UBOGAGU)
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USA BASEBALL (ARROYO)
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LARRY N. SOUDERS/DAVID SELLERS PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIO (HARDIN)
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M&A STUDIOS (SHELTON)
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COURTESY OF BARKER MOTORSPORTS (BARKER)
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ROSS LADUE/UW ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS (BRILL)
