Faces In The Crowd

Christian Ahrens, Milwaukee
Rowing
Ahrens, 23, stroked the American men's eight to the gold medal at the world championships. With this victory the U.S., which defeated runner-up Great Britain by half a length, became the third country, after East Germany in 1976-80 and Germany in 1989-91, to win at least three titles in a row.

Blythe Hartley, North Vancouver, B.C.
Diving
Blythe, 17, won two golds and a silver in the girls' competition at the three-event world 18-and-under championships. Her triumphs in the one-meter springboard and the 10-meter tower were both by more than 30 points. Her second-place finish came in the three-meter springboard.

Kyle Herman, Bismarck, N.Dak.
Track and Field
Kyle, 17, rallied from sixth place on the final day of competition to win the Junior Olympics ages 17-18 decathlon championship. A two-time state high school pole vault champion, Herman took the decathlon lead for good by placing second in his best event with a vault of 13' 11�".

Levuka Tau, San Mateo, Calif.
Rugby
Tau, 31, was named MVP for the third time in the last four years at the national club 7s all-star game. A scrum and fly half, Tau led the San Mateo Rugby Club to national club 7s championships in 1996 and '97, and won tournament top performer honors both years.

Theresa Sherry, Baltimore
Lacrosse
Theresa, 17, a midfielder, scored two goals to lead the U.S. women's 19-and-under team to a 15-8 title-game victory over Australia at the world championships. She also held the Aussies' top scorer without a goal and was selected as the game's most valuable player.

Mike Morgan, Odessa, Fla.
Water Skiing
Morgan, 37, a dermatopathologist, pulled off a grand slam in the age 34-44 division at the U.S. championships by coming in first in the slalom, tricks and jumping competitions. He now has 22 national crowns, earning his first, as the overall winner in his age group, when he was 13 in 1976.