Their names are peppered throughout sports history—Bo Jackson, Deion Sanders, Jim Thorpe, Babe Didrikson Zaharias, Lolo Jones and Marion Jones. They are multi-sport athletes that took their talents to the world's stage and achieved success at the highest level.
There are several factors that attribute to someone's success in being a multi-sport athlete—raw athletic talent, desire to compete at the highest level, hard work and dedication to the craft and simply the love of sport itself. Other factors in being a multi-sport athlete that should also be taken into account range from—immense wear and tear on the body, physical and mental fatigue and career burnout.
Sanders, who was a dual sport standout for both the Atlanta Falcons and the Atlanta Braves, once made a unique double dip by playing in both an NFL game for the Falcons and the National League Championship Series for the Braves on the same day. "Both of them were important," said Sanders of the games. "Both games were important. It's a game. There's fans. There's teammates. There's family. Everything. Every time you compete, it's important."
Salem College has eight student-athletes competed in multiple sports over the course of the 2019-20 season—Rachel Black, Maria Ferrer, Emily Inman, Hope Morrison, Corrin Shores, Lauren Holman, Amy Stutzer and Isabella Verdicchio. Over the course of the next two weeks we are going to analyze the careers of Salem's multi-sport athletes.
LAUREN HOLMAN
Lauren Holman, who completed her bachelor's degree at Salem in 3.5 years, competed in both tennis and volleyball over her collegiate career. A native of Vale, N.C., Holman came to Salem after attending Fred T. Foard High School.
Holman's contributions to the volleyball program resulted in 462 assists (3.82 assists / set), 191 digs (1.58 digs / set) and 30 kills in 121 sets between 2017 and 2019. She owns the program's single-season mark for highest hitting percentage (.306), which came as a freshman, after converting 27 kills in 72 total attacks. That same season, Holman emerged with 435 assists, marking the 11th-most in a single-season in Salem volleyball history.
In the spring, Holman competed in tennis for Salem tennis head coach Ed Steele. In 2018, she capped off her first year at Salem with seven singles wins, second-most on the team behind Abigail Williams, winning all matches as the Spirits' No. 3 seed. She grabbed three of those wins in early March with two wins against Celeste Zhang (Wesleyan (Ga.)) and one versus Anais Gutierrez, all in straight sets. With teammate Carmen Wilkins at her side the pair came through with six doubles victories, including four straight between Feb. 23 and March 10.
Holman returned to the court in 2019 and ended the slate with four singles wins, including three as the Spirits' No. 2 seed. Paired with Wilkins for the entire season, Salem's No. 2 pairing emerged with five wins. She posted back-to-back wins in singles play against Delaney Taylor (Guilford) and Valerie Sargeant (Hollins).
In an abbreviated 2019-20 tennis season, Holman recorded her lone singles victory against Guilford's Megan Kimpel on Oct. 6, 2019. Earlier that afternoon, in the match against the Quakers, she and Wilkins came through with an 8-4 win over Bea Nayibizi and Abby Boohar by an 8-4 margin.
"Anyone who knows Lauren Holman will say she is a happy, smart, and has an infectious personality that makes everyone smile," said Steele. "She is a team leader and a fierce competitor. Lauren will give you 100 percent effort in practice and competition. She has been a true asset to the team and will be sorely missed."
Holman recently discussed competing in both tennis and volleyball at Salem over the course of her career and provided the following answers:
How has being a multi-sport athlete been advantageous to you when competing against others?
HOLMAN: Being a multi-sport athlete has really helped me with my competitive edge. Knowing what is at stake if I don't give my all, for the sports I play, drives me to give it my all when I am on the courts. It has also helped me mentally. I know that I'm going to have off days but that extra experience helps me keep a level and clear head when I am not on my game.
What is the most difficult thing about transitioning between sports and sport seasons as a multi-sport athlete?
HOLMAN: The most difficult thing about transitioning between sports is the time I miss for one sport when I am in the main season of another sport. When I am playing volleyball in the fall, I am missing out on the fall season of tennis and extra bonding time with the team. The same goes for when I am playing tennis in the spring and have to forfeit my spring season of volleyball. That is definitely the hardest because I never like missing a game with my teams.
Obviously anyone who is playing multiple sports loves to compete at the highest level. Describe a little bit where your competitive nature comes from when you compete?
HOLMAN: I would say my competitive nature comes from being the baby of three, with two older brothers. Both of my brothers played college soccer and were notorious for being extremely competitive. If they beat me in anything, school or sports related, they would instantly let me know and I don't like it. So I learned from a young age that, if I wanted them to quit doing that, I had to start competing back.
Who is someone (or possibly a number of people) that you find motivation from as an athlete or possibly even a non-athlete (ex: parent, grandparent, relative)?
HOLMAN: My parents have always motivated me and supported me with every sport I have ever pursued. They do not pressure me into competing in something if I don't want to and offer me critiques on my game play even when I win. I truly would not be where I am or accomplished the things I have without them by my side.
What is your most memorable moment in each sport that you have competed at while at Salem and why?
HOLMAN: My most memorable moment for tennis was coming back against Ferrum in my singles match after sustaining an injury and losing the first set. I had to play three straight sets, which is quite a bit for people who don't know tennis, and I won in the tie breaker. I was in tears from pain but it was so worth it because it broke the team tie and allowed us to win the entire match.
My most memorable moment for volleyball was winning against Meredith in a 3-1 victory my first year. This was the first, and only, time in school history that we beat Meredith. It is my favorite memory because I was on the court playing for the victory and I can still remember celebrating so hard when we secured that final point that I rolled my ankle (but was fine).
How does competing in volleyball help you in bettering you in tennis?
HOLMAN: Competing in volleyball has definitely helped me with bettering my volley in tennis. My net play in tennis is one of my strengths and I feel I can attribute that to my experience with volleyball.
Additionally, how does competing in tennis benefit you when you are competing in volleyball?
HOLMAN: Competing in tennis has helped me with my reaction time in volleyball. Before I started playing tennis, I had trouble reacting to shots in volleyball. I have noticed a major improvement in my reaction time since I have gained more experience in tennis.