"It's tough balancing athletics and academics with advanced classes," Bergmann said. "It paid off to accomplish both. Of the two, however, I'm more proud of valedictorian; there's only one of them."

And while this schedule would've crumbled a lesser student-athlete, Bergmann relished the challenge.

"My parents always taught me to be the best," she said. "I learned to work hard from my sister - also a valedictorian - and put out the needed effort to succeed."

All the hard work resulted in a season of first-place efforts: Kansas Relays, Kansas 4A state meet, Great Southwest and Nike Outdoor Nationals.

So what are her expectations as a freshman at KU?

"I might be the only female javelin thrower," Bergmann said. "I need to stay in the 160s and then hopefully reach the 170s."

Bergmann chose Kansas over Duke because of the proximity to home and because coach Andy Kokhanovsky's style is similar to her high school throws coach, Corey Isbell.

A girls javelin today weighs 600 grams (1.32 pounds) and measures 7.25 feet, while the boys high school javelin weighs 800 grams (1.76 pounds) and measures 8.50 feet. The overhand throw and 30-meter runway drastically differentiates it from the sport's other throws. Thus, a superior javelin thrower must be blessed with core and upper body strength, plus agility and flexibility usually associated with sprinters.

For Bergmann, this is where volleyball and basketball have conditioned her body to be a complete athlete - strong, agile, quick and flexible. She helped the Concordia volleyball team reach the postseason, and her tremendous post play guided the Panthers to an undefeated championship season in basketball.

Basketball, however, taught her more than simply winning.

"Basketball taught me life lessons: responsibility, working hard with others, how to be a teammate and how to achieve a stated goal," Bergmann said.

Introduced to the javelin in seventh grade by her friend's father, Bergmann tried it and discovered a knack for it.

"My sister was a thrower," she said. "I wasn't planning to throw, but after I tried it, I was happy with it, so I stuck with it."

Through an ankle injury (sophomore season) and shoulder injury (junior season), Bergmann's ability to overcome adversity is her biggest strength, a strength she documents before meets in a notebook filled with goals and positive thoughts.

But she understands her need to improve, and she's ready for the challenge.

"I'm excited to compete in the Big 12 because I'll compete against many of the girls I competed against in high school, like Roxi," said Bergmann, referring to Roxi Grizzle of Tonganoxie, Kan., who is attending the University of Nebraska.

Winning an NCAA individual title would certainly add to Bergmann's excitement, as well as her already impressive résumé.

Justin Shirk

He owns the national freshman javelin record (207 feet, 5 inches), the national senior javelin record (235-03), and for most of the 2009 season, he owned the top javelin throw in the nation.

Justin Shirk, the 2008 Gatorade Pennsylvania Male Track & Field Athlete of the Year and 2009 all-state selection in football, finished his high school career as Pennsylvania's first three-time javelin champion.

Shirk, from Central Dauphin High School, passed for 834 yards, rushed for 1,258 and totaled 25 touchdowns his senior season. On the heels of this successful campaign, the 6-foot-1, 216-pound weapon signed with Bloomsburg for football.

And then came the throw that changed everything.

At the Cedar Cliff Relays on May 2, Shirk launched the spear a then-No. 2 all-time distance of 235-03. [Sam Crouser of Gresham, Ore., has since reached 238-11 to usurp the No. 2 position, while the No. 1 spot with the "new" javelin is 241-11 by Amsterdam, N.Y.'s Tommi Viskari.]

Shirk's first throw landed 213 feet away, followed by a toss of 222. And as sunshine turned black with the onset of storm clouds on the horizon, magic happened: the 8 ˝-foot lance sailed effortlessly and then pierced the soil 235 feet, 3 inches deep into the sector. Shirk had just thrown into rare air and now had a decision: football or track?

"Ever since getting good at the javelin," Shirk said, "track and field has been gaining [on his first love - football]. It's hard to select."

What has happened since his historic throw is that he's de-committed from Bloomsburg and is pursuing a track scholarship, of which his top choices are Oklahoma, UCLA and Kentucky. Arizona, Oregon, LSU, Arkansas, Virginia and New Mexico have also expressed interest.

One thing's for certain - he won't suffer injuries so common to the gridiron, be it a split chin from a vicious tackle or a spear to the side after reversing one's field, both of which forced Shirk to miss game time.

With only the 2009 USA Junior Outdoor Track & Field Championships (and possibly the Pan American Games) left in his high school career, Shirk realizes the sense of urgency to rest atop the national all-time rankings.

"To accomplish and achieve my goal, I'd be one of the happiest people in the world," he said.

Shirk has played football since he was 5. Track didn't enter the picture until eighth grade when he ran the 100, 200 and 4x1.

"I was undefeated," Shirk said. "In high school, that all changed. I wasn't used to being the slow one on the track."

Blessed with the natural arm mechanics of a quarterback, the transition made sense. [Terry Bradshaw, Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Fame

QB, threw the javelin 245 feet in high school, using the old-weighted spear.]

"I knew I had a knack for it from playing quarterback, plus I had a good baseball arm," Shirk said.

Like all great competitors, Shirk rises to the level of superior competition. This has enabled him to win in Puerto Rico at the Caribbean Scholastic Invitational last June and the Penn Relays a couple of months ago.

Yet the ultimate accolade would be the title of Olympian.

"I have an interest in business finance, but since the best years for throwing the javelin are in one's late 20s, early 30s, I still have time to make it," Shirk said.

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