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Lea graduated from Sacramento State University in 2011 with a degree in Nutrition and is one of the most decorated athletes in school history. She is also considered to be "the greatest 800-meter runner in Big Sky history," ranking No. 11 on the Big Sky Conference's list of "25 Greatest Female Athletes." Lea was the recipient of the Big Sky Conference’s prestigious scholar-athlete award and went on to compete as a professional athlete for Nike Track and Field through two Olympic cycles setting an American Record with her relay team. Raised as a foster child, her path to success would never have been imagined as it occurred. Her story is one of inspiration, surprise and success that continues today.

Lauren Wong is currently a student-athlete on the Sacramento State track and field team. Falling in love with the sport during high school, she then decided to attend Sacramento State and is entering her final year at Sac State studying Psychology. After graduation she’ll be pursuing a masters degree related to sports psychology. In spite of injury, Lauren speaks to her experience in navigating college both as a student and athlete sharing the surprises, difficulties and revelations of injury as she prepares to continue her education.

Megan Kritscher is a former Sacramento State Women’s Basketball student-athlete. Prior to college, played four years of varsity volleyball and basketball at Pioneer High School in Woodland. In her senior basketball season she was one of the top in the country for blocks, was awarded MVP of the league and was nominated as a McDonalds All-American. She began her collegiate athletics at UC Santa Barbara and after two years transferred to Sacramento State where she played out her eligibility. The Hornets made back to back playoff appearances during her tenure, she set a school record for blocks in a single season and finished top three in the country for blocks per game. Megan recently retired from playing basketball professionally overseas for the past five years and currently coaches Women’s Basketball at William Jessup University. Her journey home is an incredible and not all that unfamiliar story.

Aaron Crouch is a Doctor of Physical Therapy in the Sacramento region specializing in athlete performance, post-operative rehabilitation and focused movement programs. As a former championship high school baseball player, he was recruited to the collegiate level for Sacramento State. As a student-athlete his career concluded due to injury, however he completed his Kinesiology Clinical Exercise Bachelor of Science degree and completed his Doctorate of Physical Therapy at the University. His story is one of perseverance, commitment and focus to a successful outcome over adversity.

Traci Shaw is a graduate from Castro Valley High School where she played four years of varsity softball, was Captain three of those years and celebrated four consecutive league championships resulting in four NCS playoffs. She was a four-time all-conference and Scholar Athlete selection and was recognized as Cal-Hi third team all-state, second team all-Metro, and first team all-league as a senior. In Fall 2016, she became a Hornet student-athlete as she began her first year at Sacramento State. Her second year, she suffered from a season-ending injury during the first practice that required complete knee reconstruction. Traci is a Psychology major, studying to become a clinical sports psychologist to work with collegiate and professional athletes and is studying abroad in London at Kingston University for her senior year. This is her story of what has taken her down a path to success and is a continuing part of the Athletes Interrupted series supported by an NCAA grant to help student-athletes better understand the challenges in the transition from high school to collegiate level sports and academics.

Sam Hendrix-McCowan is a former Sacramento State Football student-athlete who received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology. He played as a true freshman and played every season while at Sacramento State. His story tells of various challenges and adversities that contributed to his development as a person beyond the athlete. Sam is currently working towards his Master’s in School Counseling. Sam strives to develop youth, student-athletes and the community, and to empower, inspire and equip them with tools necessary to thrive. His story is a part of the Athletes Interrupted series focusing on the challenges student-athletes encounter upon the entry to college from high school athletics and academics.