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SPORTS INFORMATION—2009
HOLLINGER IS A HIGH JUMPER ON TWO TEAMS AT CASE...
CLEVELAND, OH (March 24, 2009) - Freshman Erin Hollinger (Chardon, OH) spent three long months rising above her opponents to block shots and haul in rebounds on her way to earning All-University Athletic Association (UAA) honors with the women’s basketball team. Then one week later she received those same honors in another sport, but this time around it only took one big leap.
Hollinger was a basketball player and a track and field athlete in high school, but when she came to Case Western Reserve University she knew it would be a challenge to stick with both sports. Then when the basketball season ended in late February, she decided she would at least give it a try.
In a week’s time span she would play in her last basketball game in Atlanta, get in three practices with the track and field team on Case Western Reserve’s campus, and then head to New York City to compete in the UAA’s Indoor Track and Field Championships on March 7. Hollinger placed second in the high jump that day with a 1.62 meter jump that earned her All-UAA honors and was just shy of breaking her own personal record in the event.
“I thought that whole week was really surreal,” said Hollinger. “Honestly, I was surprised by how well I did, but I really wanted to win. I went out there and really tried my best. I guess it comes natural to me.”
Hollinger is six-feet tall with a slender frame which is an ideal body type for a high jumper. She says she has always been a natural when it comes to track and field, especially in the jumping events. She is her high school record holder in the pole vault and the high jump and she has had success in the hurdles as well.
Even with her impressive high school resume, becoming an all-conference athlete at the college level with only a week of training is quite a remarkable achievement.
“I had one practice where I worked on my approach, one day where I did some running and then I did some jumping one day and that was it,” said Hollinger. “But when I got to the UAA Championships and I was sitting there watching all the other girls jump, I got really anxious. Then when it was my turn, I just channeled everything I had into that one moment.”
Even though Hollinger placed second and was only .03 meters [1.65m] away from qualifying for nationals, she claims she was still not satisfied with her performance. She says that unless you break a world record in a track and field event you are never really the winner.
Hollinger is extremely competitive and says track and field gives her an adrenaline rush because of the individual pressure at each meet. But the hard work she has put into basketball has made her time on the court an even more rewarding experience.
“I love track, I really do,” exclaimed Hollinger. “But I have put in countless hours of sweating and suffering into basketball to get where I am, and track just sort of happened for me. I am so much more emotionally invested in basketball.”
Whether she is draining a jumper on the court or leaping through the air on the track, Hollinger has made a name for herself in both sports in her first year at Case Western Reserve. While it is hard to not look ahead at what she may be able to accomplish in her time as a Spartan, Hollinger likes it better when people taper their expectations.
“I had a great time at the UAA Championships because I didn’t put any expectations on myself,” said Hollinger. “In high school, everyone had a height that they wanted me to clear. But I like it when no one is expecting anything, that’s when I do my best.”
“But when I am competing I don’t let those things bother me. I mean it’s pretty cool to fly through the air, there is really nothing like it.”
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