By: Starting on National Girls & Women in Sports Day on February 7 and throughout the rest of the month, we will recognize some of our past Doris B. Hopper Award winners.
JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – February 7 marks the 32nd anniversary of National Girls & Women in Sports Day. In honor of that achievement, we have contacted past Doris B. Hopper Award winners and asked them to recount some of their past experiences in athletics and how playing sports has changed their lives. These profiles will run every weekday through the end of the month.
Our next profile is Abbey (Suter) Wacaser from the Class of 2002. Wacaser was the winner of the 2003 Doris B. Hopper Award and was named to the All-Midwest Conference First Team as a senior. Her 14 single-season goals remain a school record and she was the all-time leading goal scorer in school history before being overtaken the past three seasons by Bianca Savarese and
Ashley Sholmire.
Who was your female sports idol growing up?
Mia Hamm
How did you get started in athletics?
I started playing soccer at age 4 because my older brother played
How has athletics impacted your life?
Athletics has taught me self-discipline, perseverance, teamwork and to believe that anything is possible. It makes you work hard and manage your time. It teaches you to respect your coaches and teammates and how to get along for the greater good of the team.
Have you taken anything from athletics into your career field?
Yes, I utilize perseverance in my job frequently along with teamwork and patience. It has taught me to work hard. It also helped with helping me manage my time which I had to do with athletics and academics back in college. It has given me a good work foundation.
What was your most memorable moment as a student-athlete?
Winning the Mayor's Cup
Past Profiles
February 13 -
Adrienne (Dickerson) Range
February 12 -
Lindsay (Stauder) Howard
February 9 -
Candace (Norville) Scheuers
February 8 -
Melissa Norville
February 7 -
Hannah McGinnis
