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体育名人堂: Spotlight on Carolyn Springer '90
Zola Solamente, ’90, has played alongside Mia Hamm, competed on the U.S. Women’s National Team and traveled the globe to teach children the game of soccer.
她堪称典范的运动生涯始于圣. 安德鲁的 when Solamente — then known as Carolyn Springer — made the varsity soccer team as a middle school student.
“Being able to make the varsity teams when I was younger just instilled so much confidence in me,索拉门特说. “I recognized that it’s very special and not always how it works when there a rookie on the team. St. 安德鲁的 gave me that opportunity to play with much older girls.”
Solamente是六个圣. 安德鲁的 graduates and one coach selected as members of the inaugural class of the St. 安德鲁的运动名人堂. They will be inducted on October 15 as part of 团聚 Weekend.
体育运动 Director Al Hightower said Solamente’s resume was beyond reproach.
“It was an easy choice because she was a premier athlete not only in the PVAC conference, 不只是在这个地区, 但在全国范围内,海托华说. “这对她来说就像是一个本垒打.”
In addition to soccer, which she played on-and-off at St. 安德鲁的, Solamente played basketball and ran track.
足球是她“认真”的运动, she said — she played on club soccer teams and competed at the state and regional level. 然而，她说，篮球是“纯粹的乐趣”.
“Basketball was such a nice respite from soccer, which was really becoming a career,索拉门特说.
That doesn’t mean the team didn’t take the game seriously — the ‘88-’89 basketball team had an undefeated season and took home a PVAC championship.
“It was very rewarding to thrive in a sport that wasn’t my main sport,索拉门特说. “It gave me a lot of confidence and I remember it being a lot of fun.”
Solamente was recruited to play soccer for the University of North Carolina, 教堂山分校, where she was teammates with future professional players Mia Hamm and Kristine Lilly. While at UNC she won four national championships and was named an All-American.
“他们是真实的人, even though they’re the most insane athletes and really propelled our sport forward,索拉门特说. “Training with them and playing games with them every weekend made me such a better player than I think I ever would have been if I went to any other program.”
她回忆起自己在美国的两年.S. Women’s National Team — 1991 to 1993 — as being both “really fun” and “really intense.” Her time on the team would help her receive what she called a “gift” 20 years later — an opportunity to coach children around the world as 他是美国的体育特使.S. 国务院.
Since 2014 Solamente has participated in sports diplomacy programs in Bolivia, 墨西哥, 荷兰, 塞内加尔和约旦.
“It’s the most rewarding thing I could ever do,索拉门特说. “我简直不敢相信我有多幸运.”
Gary Wyatt coached Solamente in track and said she deserves to be inducted in the Hall of Fame because of “what she gave to the school individually — her sportsmanship, 她的辛勤工作和对团队的奉献, 在三项运动中都是顶级水平.”
“She was one of the stars for each one of those sports,” Wyatt said. “Every coach depended on her for her sport and to be a leader on the field also.”
But classmate Kim Druckenmiller, ’90, said it’s about more than just her athletic prowess.
“It’s also the well-roundedness of her academics, 有创意的, 艺术能力和做一个好人,德鲁肯米勒说. “She gives back to the community more than anybody I know, 她为足球所做的一切, coaching…it wasn’t just that she had a good soccer career. 总之，她是个有才华的人."
St. 安德鲁圣公会学校是一所私立学校, coeducational college preparatory day school for students in preschool (Age 2) through grade 12, 位于波托马克, 马里兰.