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Athletes
Joshua Hembrough and Emily Cressy were named the 2008 Male and Female Athletes of the Year by the USA Deaf Sports Federation. Both athletes are collegiate underclassmen at their respective institutions this year and continue to demonstrate the excellence seen in deaf and hard of hearing athletes in America. Hembrough, a 110-meter hurdler specialist from Purdue University clocked a personal best of 13.58 while competing for his college this past spring. That time would have broken the Deaflympic world record of 14.3. Hembrough, a native of Grand Rapids, Michigan and a product of Forest Northern High School, qualified for both the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships, placing 13th overall at the indoor meet. Hembrough took third at the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships in the 110-meter hurdles, posting the second-fastest time in school history at 13.58 and earning USTFCCCA All-Region honors. Hembrough has also won a pair of Big Ten Championships and First-Team All-Big Ten awards, capturing the 60-meter hurdle title indoors and the 110-meter hurdle crown outdoors. He was also named Big Ten Indoor Freshman of the Year after his 60-meter hurdle victory at the conference championships in Madison, Wis. The 6-5 sophomore clocked his career-best time in the 60-meter hurdles twice, winning the Notre Dame Meyo Invitational and Purdue Invitational crowns. Hembrough majors in physical education at Purdue.
Cressy, a redshirt freshman from Kansas University is a midfielder-forward for the Jayhawks. Cressy exploded on the collegiate level in a big way in her very first match, scoring a goal and an assist in defeating Purdue University. For the 2008 campaign, Cressy scored 8 goals and assisted on three other goals. She was tied for 9th in the Big 12 Conference in goals and tied for fourth for game-winning goals with four. Cressy is no stranger to the Deaflympics as she was the youngest member of the women’s soccer team in 2005 in Melbourne. At 14 years old, Cressy was one of the most experienced players on the pitch. Cressy scored a goal in the 3-0 USA victory against Russia. A native of Ventura, California, Cressy has played soccer since she was 4 years old and excelled as a year-round club player since she was 7. When she was 14, her club won the 2004 U.S. Youth Soccer Under-14 National Championship. Cressy is majoring in early childhood education in hopes of someday becoming a teacher or a coach. USA Deaf Sports Federation is affiliated with both the US Olympic Committee and the DEAFLYMPICS, Inc. For information on USADSF and DEAFLYMPICS, please visit www.usdeafsports.org and www.deaflympics.com, respectively. |
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