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 second profile is Melissa Norville from the Class of 2013. Norville won the Hopper Award for three straight years, from 2011 to 2013, while a part of the volleyball and track & field teams. In her career at Illinois College, she won nine national titles in track & field, took home 24 Midwest Conference titles and earned All-American status 19 times.
Who was your female sports idol growing up?
Kerri Walsh Jennings
How did you get started in athletics?
Played sports my whole life
How has athletics impacted your life?
It helped me build emotional and mental strength as a competitor and person.
Have you taken anything from athletics into your career field?
I'm now able to relate to my clients about the pressure of being an athlete. I also believe that dealing with criticism or hearing people say I'm not good enough has helped motivate me to focus more and work harder.
What was your most memorable moment as a student-athlete?
Winning Nationals in the 55m hurdles.
Past Profiles
February 7 -
Hannah McGinnis
