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Athlete update

Former Warhawk finishes well-rounded college career

By NANCY MORGAN
Published May 7, 2006

Four years ago, Jodie Heinicka Seminole kicked off her gymnastics career at the University of Missouri with the same success she achieved competing with LaFleur's Gymnastics in Largo.

This year, her final season with the Mizzou Tigers was her best, with a No.4 national ranking on the uneven bars and a tie for 71st on vault. During the season, Heinicka won 10 bar events and one vault. In the 22-year-old's final collegiate meet at the NCAA Regionals last month, Heinicka recorded 9.90 on bars to tie for second, tied for 12th on vault and posted 9.650 on balance beam.

"This was a good season for me and I'm proud of what I've accomplished at Missouri," Heinicka said. "I'll always remember setting a record on bars my sophomore year and competing on the beam this year, along with not falling one time."

Though Heinicka's freshman year started off successfully with scores of at least 9.80 on vault in six meets, her season was shortened by a torn ACL and meniscus. Still, Heinicka was ranked 24th on vault in the Southeast Region.

"I rehabbed nine months after surgery, and while I was getting back into competition my sophomore year, I re-tore my meniscus," Heinicka said.

Despite her injury, Heinicka collected a 9.950 on bars, the school's all-time highest score, in the 2004 Cat Classic.

Last year, Heinicka competed regularly on vault and bars for the Tigers and tied for seventh on bars at the NCAA South Central Regional.

This season, Heinicka reached her goal of adding beam to her competitive list, thanks to assistant coach Kira Montuori.

Not only did Heinicka achieve college success in gymnastics, but the four-time Junior Olympic national qualifier was named to the all-Big 12 academic first team her last three years.

College graduation is just around the corner for Heinicka, and she is looking forward to beginning her graduate assistantship at Missouri as she trades in her gymnastics gear for an opportunity to study in the administrative sports arena.

MORE GYMNASTICS: LSU's Terin Martinjak (Clearwater) claimed her second straight All-America second-team selection after the senior's performance at the NCAA Championships. Martinjak tied for eighth on floor exercise, tied for fifth on balance beam and tied for 27th on vault.

BASEBALL: Central Florida right-hander Tim Bascom (Dunedin) was named to the Dick Howser Trophy 64-player watchlist. Named in memory of former FSU player Howser, the award recognizes the nation's top college player. The junior is first in Conference USA and third in the nation with an ERA of 1.19.

- Zach Wendkos (Shorecrest) had two hits, two RBIs and scored a run for Princeton in a 12-2 win over Cornell. The senior captain is third on the team in hitting (.322), third in RBIs (30) and tied for second in runs scored (28).

- Case Western Reserve junior Marshall Hampton (Admiral Farragut) was named second-team all-University Athletic Association. Hampton, who plays first base and catcher, leads the team in hits with 33 and has collected 16 RBIs.

- Freshman Kevin Garcia (Dunedin) is averaging .310 in 20 games at the plate and has collected a 3-1 record with a 3.70 ERA on the mound for Gulf Coast CC.

- Gulf Coast CC freshman Cory Trudell (Dunedin), a former all-County shortstop, is averaging .210 in 16 games.

SOFTBALL: Dani Hofer (Palm Harbor University) raised her record to 15-4 with a 4-3 win over Arkansas. The LSU freshman hurled 6 innings, allowing seven hits while recording five strikeouts. Hofer has posted a 1.85 ERA.

TRACK: At the Penn Relays, Ashlee Kidd (St. Petersburg) and her Georgia Tech 4x100 relay teammates ran a season-best time of 44.28 for an eighth-place finish in the Championship of America division. Next up for the team are the NCAA East Region Championships May26-27.

- Dr. Michael Logue (Pinellas Park/FSU/Tufts Dental School) won the pole vault in the 40-44 age division at the National U.S. Indoors Masters Track and Field Championships held in Boston, Mass. Logue, an oral surgeon in Deerfield Beach, jumped 12 feet, 11½ inches.

SWIMMING: Notre Dame senior Patrick Davis (Jesuit) of Clearwater received the Notre Dame Club of St. Joseph Valley Rockne Student-Athlete Award. According to coach Tim Welsh, the senior was the complete scholar athlete with the most consistency in freestyle distance swimming and in academic achievements. Davis made the dean's list all four years, was a member of the academic honors faculty mentoring program and a member of the computer science national honor society.

- Senior team captain Haley Skaggs (Northeast) swam on South Carolina's 200-free relay team that finished seventh in the SEC Championships and swam anchor on the sixth-place 400 free relay squad.

- South Carolina redshirt senior Heather Skaggs (Northeast) competed in just one meet due to lingering issues from surgery. As a junior, Skaggs earned All-America recognition on the 200, 400 and 800 relay teams.

- Redshirt junior Stephanie Margalis (Clearwater) swam anchor for South Carolina's 800-free relay team that finished fifth in the SEC race.

TENNIS: Florida's Alex Liles (Saddlebrook) of Largo was named to all-SEC second team. The sophomore posted a 11-1 record, competing mostly in the No.5 and No.6 slots for the SEC champion Gators.

Fax news for this column to Nancy Morgan,796-5559; e-mail namorgan46@msn.com or send to 10 Court St., Clearwater, FL 33756. Please include phone number.

[Last modified May 7, 2006, 10:06:14]