Sophia, a senior guard at the Maharishi School, scored 49 points and had 14 rebounds, six steals and five blocked shots in the Pioneers' 78-76 triple overtime victory over Highland High. She was a McDonald's High School All-American finalist and was recently named to the First State All-Iowa team.
Jon Karcich
BELMONT, CALIF. > Baseball
Jon, a senior shortstop and pitcher at Serra High, hit three home runs and had six RBIs in the Padres' season-opening 8-5 victory over De La Salle High. He tied a 21-year-old school record for most home runs in a game and also earned the win when he came over from shortstop and pitched one inning in relief.
Allison Buckley
HOFFMAN ESTATES, ILL. > Gymnastics
Allison, a junior at Conant High, won a state-record six gold medals at the Illinois High School Girls' Gymnastic Coaches Association championship as she led the Cougars to their first state team title. She scored an Illinois-record 9.95 in the vault and won the all-around, uneven parallel bars, balance beam and floor exercise.
Jasper Johnson
HOLLANDALE, MISS. > Basketball
Johnson, a senior center at Delta State, was named Gulf South Conference player of the year after leading the 30-2 Statesmen with an average of 20.8 points and 8.4 rebounds. He was selected to the All-GSC first team and was scheduled to play in the NCAA Division II all-star game on March 21.
Mike Rio
MIAMI > Wrestling
Rio, a senior 157-pounder at Lindenwood University, was the only wrestler to defend a national title this year when he defeated Hayden Harrison at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics championships. He pinned all five of his opponents and was named the most outstanding wrestler of the meet.
Priscilla and Brandon Modrov
SMITHTOWN, N.Y. > Swimming
Siblings Priscilla and Brandon, a freshman and a junior, respectively, at Rider University, were named women's and men's outstanding swimmers at the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championships.
FACES, FROM TOP: RICK DONHAUSER; MICHAEL SUGRUE; CHRIS BERNACCHI; BILL MOSES; SCOTT QUEEN; JIM LUZZI (2); FANTASY: TOM DIPACE (GRANDERSON): HEINZ KLUETMEIER (WOMACK)
A new Faces in the Crowd section will honor sportsmanship and contributions to the community, rather than just athletic achievement. As with our regular section, we're particularly interested in amateurs and those who receive little recognition. Know an athlete, coach or administrator who might be a worthy subject for a future Faces in the Crowd? Use the form below to tell us why your nominee deserves to be considered. Make sure you include your contact information so we can get in touch if we decide to use your suggestion.