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Thursday, May 16, 2002

By Mike White, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

SCHOOL: Quaker Valley

WHO IS SHE? A 5-foot-11 junior who has excelled in two sports this spring.

	Margi Smith: Able to jump between sports. (Lake Fong, Post-Gazette)

THE PAST WEEK: Smith played in the Western Pennsylvania Schoolgirls Lacrosse Association semifinals Friday, scoring one goal in a 12-5 loss to eventual champion Mt. Lebanon. At the WPIAL Class AA track and field championships Tuesday, she finished second in the 100- and 300-meter hurdles and was a member of Quaker Valley's 400 relay team that finished first. Last Thursday, she won the 100 and 300 hurdles to help Quaker Valley win the WPIAL Class AA team championship.

TOP SCORER: Smith is one of the main reasons for Quaker Valley's success in lacrosse. She has scored 32 goals. Quaker Valley will compete in the Midwest League championship tournament tomorrow and Saturday in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. She'll be on the road again next weekend when she competes in the PIAA track and field championship meet at Shippensburg University.

CAREER: As a sophomore, Smith finished second in the WPIAL in the 100 hurdles and third in the 300. She was fourth in the 100 at the PIAA championships. She has been a varsity lacrosse player since her freshman year.

BALANCING ACT: On days when both teams practiced, Smith practiced with the track and field team from 2:45 to 3:45 p.m., and then left for a 4:30 lacrosse practice.

"Sometimes, I get a little stressed out over it," Smith said. "Three times this year, I had to go from a track meet right to a game."

ANOTHER SPORT: Smith also played on the Quaker Valley girls' soccer team that made it to the PIAA Class AA championship game last fall. Besides playing three sports, she also has a 4.1 grade point average.

FAVORITE SPORT: Smith likes lacrosse best , but believes her future is in track and field. "I have a better chance in college with track," she said. "I like lacrosse better because I like team things more. I don't like the pressure of individual sports. I don't like all the anticipation leading up to it. I wish I wasn't good at track because then I'd just play lacrosse. But I know track is probably best for me."

SCHOOL: Blackhawk

WHO IS HE? A senior pitcher-first baseman on Blackhawk's baseball team.

SEASON: Omogrosso (6 feet 3, 235 pounds) has helped Blackhawk to a 14-2 record. The Cougars won the WPIAL Class AAA Section 8 championship and are the Post-Gazette's No. 2-ranked WPIAL team. He has a 5-0 record with 55 strikeouts in 33 innings. His ERA is 1.27.

CAREER: Omogrosso has been on Blackhawk's varsity since his freshman year and has been a starter since he was a sophomore. He also was a standout on Blackhawk's American Legion team that has won the past two state championships. Last summer, he was selected to play in the American Legion East-West all-star game, which includes the top players in the state.

FROM THE SIDE: Omogrosso throws sidearm. "I've just always thrown that way, even when I was younger," he said.

THREE-SPORT ATHLETE: Besides baseball, Omogrosso also was a two-year starter for Blackhawk in football (tight end-linebacker) and basketball (forward). "At some points, it gets tiring playing all three," he said. "But if I wasn't doing one of them, I'd just be sitting around all day, being lazy. ... Baseball is the best. It's so much more relaxing than the other two. When I'm at baseball, everything feels just right."

IN DEMAND: According to Omogrosso, being a three-sport athlete is the worst in the summer when school is not in session. "A lot of days in the summer, I'd have a baseball practice in the morning, go play basketball for a while and then go to a football workout at night."

He found out how coaches can be demanding.

"Last summer, I would never miss baseball because it was in season. If I had baseball at night and didn't go to football, Coach [Joe] Hamilton would be on my case. Then it was vice versa with basketball and Coach [John] Miller."

HEADED FOR BIRD COUNTRY: Omogrosso, who has a 3.65 grade point average, signed with Indiana State in November for baseball. Indiana State is the alma mater of basketball legend Larry Bird. "That place is filled with Larry Bird stuff," Omogrosso said. "There's Larry Bird's house of pancakes, Larry Bird's hotel, Larry Bird everything. But I liked it there."