When Amanda Mullins-Hall left Walnut Hills as an All-American in 2002, she was at the height of her high school track career and happily injury-free. But as Mullins-Hall underwent conditioning with the Commodores, pain thwarted her constantly. "We just couldn't figure it out," Shepard said.

The logical explanation was hamstring injuries, until Mullins-Hall was measured for height - and learned she'd grown an inch and a half. Then everything made sense.

"I knew I was going to be tall," said sophomore Mullins-Hall, who is now 5-11. "But it was everything - the new weight training I was doing, and I was hungry all the time. When I'd come home (on breaks) I'd be like, 'Is this all we're having for dinner?' "

Despite the aches and pains, Mullins-Hall not only quashed vulnerabilities on the track - but has excelled in spite of them in her two years at college. She concluded her freshman outdoor track season as an NCAA Regional qualifier in the 100-meter hurdles after breaking former track star Ryan Tolbert's school record in 13.51.

Tolbert, Vanderbilt's first and only national champion, set the standard as an All-American in 1996. It's no mistake that Mullins-Hall has been compared to her, Shepard said.

"She's done awesome," Shepard said. "You never know how a kid is going to do, just talking to them over the phone. Once she made the transition to college I think she saw herself in a new light. She began to think of herself as a future All-American."

Mullins-Hall didn't know how well she'd transition until her training was reflected in her racing. The day she broke Tolbert's record was just perfect, she said. The weather was nice, her freshman hall and family were there to watch, and there were dozens of football players watching from breaks at spring practice - which didn't hurt.

"I didn't even know how fast I was going until I was done," said Mullins-Hall, who shattered her personal-best time by .53. "But I think I can break the record again. I'm a lot faster now than I was at that point last year."

Sheovercame nagging pain in her left hamstring to set a school record in 60-meter hurdles during the winter indoor track season. Her time of 8.35 tied her for eighth in the Southeastern Conference Indoor Championships in Lexington, and helped Vanderbilt to its best overall finish since 1998.She already qualified for the May 28-29 NCAA Regional Championship in Baton Rouge, cruising to 13.66 at the first outdoor meet of the season. While she also runs the 1,600-meter relay and the 400-meter relay - the latter is "just for fun," Shepard said - her goal is to get to the national championships as a hurdler this June.

Now that she's adjusted to the grind of school and track and being away from home, Mullins-Hall said she's not about to let a little height get in her way. Her body has adjusted accordingly, and pain is largely a part of the past. "I'm definitely done growing," she said, laughing. "If I have anything to do with it."

Others

Vanderbilt junior Audra Falk (CHCA) was named the Southeastern Conference Player of the Week in women's tennis after leading the Commodores to a 5-2 victory over No. 21 on April 10. Falk paired with junior Annie Menees to take the first of three VU wins in doubles play before clinching the match with a straight-set victory at first singles. The Commodores are ranked No. 3 in the nation and Falk is ranked No. 14 in the country in singles and, with Menees, has been as high as No. 10 in the doubles rankings.

Northern Kentucky University men's tennis players Amine Benjelloun and Oliver Marinkovic have been named All-Great Lakes Valley Conference by the league coaches. Benjelloun owns a 10-5 overall record at No. 1 singles this season, and he is 11-4 in No. 1 doubles competition. Benjelloun, a senior from Kenitra, Morocco, also shared GLVC co-Player of the Year honors with University of Indianapolis standout Ross Johnson. Marinkovic, a junior from Gothenburg, Sweden, enters the GLVC Tournament with a 15-1 overall record at No. 2 singles. Marinkovic is 10-5 at No. 2 doubles.

University of Cincinnati senior Lyndsey Molony (Notre Dame Academy) set a school record for career doubles wins in the first round of the Conference USA Championships on Thursday. Molony and freshman Hannah Hinton pulled the upset at No. 1 doubles, topping Marina Parashkevova and Natalie Matko, 8-2. The win gave Molony 70 career doubles wins, surpassing Pam Whitehead's mark of 69.

Xavier's J.R. Randall (Turpin) was named an Atlantic 10 tennis performer of the week April 5 after helping the Musketeers to a 7-0 win over Duquesne April 3. Randall beat Devon Peightal 6-3, 5-7, 10-6 in first singles. Jason Kokrak was named the A-10 golf rookie of the week the same week after tying for ninth with five-under par 211 (74-68-69) at the Louisiana State Spring Invitational.

Miami University junior pitcher Jackie Poggendorf and sophomore left fielder Kristen Hays were named the Mid-American Conference East Division's pitcher and player of the week, respectively. Poggendorf was 3-0 in games last week with a 1.47 ERA. Hays hit .545 (6-of-11) for the week with a team-high 7 RBI, four runs and two doubles.

University of Cincinnati hurdler David Payne (Wyoming) was named Conference USA Athlete of the Week for his record-setting performance in the 110 meter high hurdles on April 10. Payne led the Bearcats to a first-place finish at the Miami Invitational last weekend, recording a pair of NCAA regional qualifying marks. The senior posted a time of 13.71 seconds in the 110-meter hurdles, winning the event, and was second in the 400 hurdles in 52.24.

Ohio State University wrestler Blake Kaplan (Sycamore) will be honored at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus on May 5 for becoming an NCAA Division I All-American. He achieved this status while wrestling at 184-pound weight class during the NCAA Championships in St. Louis, March 18-20. He helped the team reach a tie for third place, the program's highest rank in school history.

Lackawanna College sophomore Steve Banks (Western Hills) was named a third-team National Junior College Athletic Association All-America in Division II men's basketball. The 6-4 forward helped lead the Falcons to the national tournament with 17 points per game.

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E-mail srussell@enquirer.com