RGV Roundup: Merritt completes career at Guilford College

McAllen Memorial’s Justine Merritt recently concluded her final season of competing for the women’s wwimming and diving team at Guilford College (Greensboro, N.C.) with another major honor.

Merritt earned an honorable mention on the All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference for the second season in a row. Merritt had been a valuable member of the Quakers’ swim team over the course of her career as the former Lady Mustangs swimmer was selected the ODAC’s Swimmer of the Week five times. Named the team captain the previous two seasons, Merritt led her teammates in individual points each of the past three years and swam the best times for Guilford in eight different events during the 2008-09 campaign. Her times in the 1000-yard freestyle and 200-yard breaststroke last season both rank second in the school’s record books.

SOCCER

McAllen High’s Sarah Stansell, a junior defender for Hardin-Simmons’ soccer team, received a couple of accolades at the end of the 2009 season. Considered one of the top defenders in the American Southwest Conference, Stansell was named to the All-ASC first team after her club clinched its seventh-straight conference title with a 12-0 record. She started in all 22 matches for Hardin-Simmons (Abilene), which advanced to the Sectional Round of the NCAA Division III championships for the third time since 2004 with a 20-2 record.

Sharyland’s Melissa Rosales was a freshman teammate of Stansell’s in 2009.

TRACK & FIELD

Harlingen High’s Hannah Linn is a sophomore pole vaulter for Trinity University (San Antonio) this season. The Tigers competed in the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championship in Greencastle, Ind., this past weekend. They then are off for a weekend before heading over to Houston on March 26 for the Rice Bayou Classic.

SOFTBALL

La Joya High’s Clara Navarro is a sophomore infielder for the women’s team at Army this season. Having started in four games thus far, Navarro is boasting a perfect fielding percentage for Army. She has yet to make an error to go with nine putouts and seven assists. Army is 3-3 overall in 2010, having won its past three games.

Michael A. Pullen is a former sportswriter in the Rio Grande Valley. His column runs every Tuesday. College news can be reported to him via e-mail at rgvroundup@yahoo.com.