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Faces in the Crowd
JENNA MARSH
BILLINGS, MONT. > SWIMMING
Jenna, a junior at Billings Central Catholic High, won the 50-yard freestyle (23.52) and the 100 butterfly (56.10) at the state championships, eclipsing her own Montana records to help the Rams win their fifth straight Class A title. A perfect six for six in three career state meets, she set state marks each time and still holds the 100 free record she set as a freshman. In December, Jenna finished in the top 10 in the 18-and-under 100 fly at the short-course junior nationals (54.25).
SHAQUEM GRIFFIN
ST. PETERSBURG > FOOTBALL
Shaquem, a 6'2", 195-pound senior safety at Lakewood High, who had his left hand amputated at age four due to a rare condition known as amniotic band syndrome, made an interception in the fourth annual International Bowl held in Austin to help the U.S. under-19 team defeat the World team, comprising players from 12 nations, 42--10. Last spring's Class 2A state triple jump champion, he and his identical twin, Shaquill, a 6'2", 190-pound cornerback, will play at Central Florida.
JESSICA KINSLER
GAINESVILLE, FLA. > WEIGHTLIFTING
Jessica, a junior at Gainesville High and the defending state champ in the 154-pound class, broke her Florida bench-press record (210 pounds) with a 225-pound lift at the state championships in Kissimmee. With a lift of 175 pounds in the clean and jerk, which tied for second place, she hoisted a total of 400 pounds to defeat the runner-up by 60 and retain her title. Jessica was one of three weightlifters to reach the 400-pound plateau at the state meet, regardless of weight class.
MICHAEL MCBROOM
THE WOODLANDS, TEXAS > SWIMMING
McBroom, a senior at Texas, set an NCAA record in the 1,000-yard freestyle with an 8:43.48 finish in a double-dual meet win over Southern Methodist and then No. 1 Arizona. (The previous record, 8:44.11, was set by Michigan's Chris Thompson in 2001.) A five-time All-America, McBroom took the NCAA 1,650-free title in 2011. He swam for the U.S. in the 1,500-meter free at the short-course world championships in Istanbul in December, then won that event at the Austin Grand Prix last month.
SHANTE EVANS
WEST CHESTER, PA. > BASKETBALL
Evans, a 6-foot senior forward at Hofstra, who at week's end led all active Division I players with 66 career double doubles, had 19 points and 11 rebounds in a 72--59 win over Georgia State to become the Pride's first player to surpass the 2,000-point mark. Evans, who played for Team USA at the 2011 Pan American Games, is on the Naismith Trophy watch list. Averaging 17.2 points and 11.5 boards through Sunday, she is Hofstra's alltime leading scorer and rebounder.
SHELDON HOWARD
ST. JOHNSVILLE, N.Y. > KARATE
Howard, 53, a retired New York City police captain and grandfather of four, earned four first-place trophies (in forms and weapons, both traditional and creative) in the black belt 50-and-up division at the American Karate Association Grand Nationals in Chicago. He won in forms and self-defense at the Long Island Winter Karate Open a week earlier. A 9/11 first responder, Howard took bronze in the 2011 World Police and Fire Games and was inducted into the U.S. Martial Arts Hall of Fame last year.
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RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS
At the Tennessee state wrestling tournament Schuyler LaRue, a 182-pound junior from Heritage High in Maryville, saved the life of a 68-year-old fan by performing CPR after the man collapsed in a restroom at the Williamson County Ag Expo Center in Franklin.
GO FIGURE
64,590
Signatures as of Sunday night on 98 petitions at Change.org asking the IOC to keep wrestling, which the committee's 15-member executive board recommended be dropped from the 2020 Olympics.
6,000
Pairs of shoes, approximately, owned by Raptors guard John Lucas III.
31
Age of Serena Williams, who beat Petra Kvitova in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Open last Friday to regain the top spot in the world ranking, making her the oldest No. 1 in WTA history.
793
Consecutive home sellouts at Fenway Park, a streak that Red Sox president Larry Lucchino said last week he expects is "going to rest in peace" as early as the second game this season.
60
Goals allowed by the U-17 hockey team from the United Arab Emirates in a shutout loss to the U-17 HC Silver Lions, of St. Petersburg, Russia, in the Turkmenistan President's Cup.
PHOTO
CLAUDIA LOMBARDO/ACTIONPIXTN (LARUE)
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MELANIE MARSH (MARSH)
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NICK PENNISI/COURTESY OF USA FOOTBALL (GRIFFIN)
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JANICE KINSLER (KINSLER)
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UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS ATHLETICS PHOTOGRAPHY (MCBROOM)
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BRIAN BALLWEG (EVANS)
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COURTESY OF SUSAN HOWARD (HOWARD)
